paisuttaa

Paisuttaa is a Finnish verb meaning to cause to swell, puff up, or expand. The core sense describes making something increase in size or volume, either physically—such as tissue, bread dough, or other materials that can inflate—or metaphorically, in the sense of making something seem larger, more dramatic, or more important. In medical language, paisuttaa can describe swelling of a body part or tissue. In food preparation, it can refer to processes that make dough or batter rise or become airy, though more common terms for specific culinary steps exist depending on context.

The word is derived from the root paisu- (to swell) and forms a regular transitive Finnish verb. Present tense forms include paisutan, paisutat, paisuttaa; past tense forms include paisutin, paisuttivat; the past participle is paisutettu. Related nouns include paisunta (swelling, puffing) and paisuttaminen (the act of causing to swell). The adjective form paisuva means swelling or bulging.

Usage notes: Paisuttaa is relatively common in Finnish and occurs in both technical and literary language. In figurative use it can mean to inflate or exaggerate something, such as claims or expectations, though this sense is context-dependent and may be considered colloquial.

See also: related terms such as paisua; nouns such as paisunta, paisuttaminen; note on cognates in related Finnic languages.