muotoiltiin

Muotoiltiin is a Finnish verb form that expresses a past passive action meaning “was designed,” “was shaped,” or “was formulated.” It is the past tense passive form of the verb muotoilla, which covers designing, shaping, and formulating in a broad sense. In use, the agent responsible for the action is often unspecified or generalized.

Etymology and morphology: muotoiltiin is derived from the stem muotoil-, connected to muotoilla (to design, to shape, to formulate). The form ends with the past passive suffix -tiin, which signals that the action happened in the past and was carried out without naming the doer. This construction is common in formal and written Finnish, including journalism, policy texts, and academic prose.

Usage and nuance: muotoiltiin is versatile and context-dependent. It can refer to physical design work, such as product or architectural design, as well as to abstract formulation, such as wording, rules, or guidelines. The passive voice emphasizes the outcome or result of the design process rather than the individuals or groups who carried it out. It is typical in neutral or objective reports where the emphasis is on what was created or decided rather than who did it.

Examples:

- Suunnitelma muotoiltiin uudelleen vastaamaan uusia vaatimuksia. (The plan was redesigned to meet new requirements.)

- Ohjeistus muotoiltiin selkeämmäksi käyttäjäkokemuksen parantamiseksi. (The instruction was reformulated to be clearer for the user experience.)

- Käytön ehdoista muotoiltiin tarkemmat säännöt. (More precise rules were formulated for usage.)

See also: muotoilu, muotoiluosa, muotoileva.