poistuma

Poistuma is an Estonian verb meaning to disappear, vanish, or fade away. It describes the process by which something becomes no longer visible or present in a given context, whether a person stepping out of a room, a figure receding in the distance, daylight fading, or a phase of interest waning. The term can be used for literal disappearance as well as metaphorical declines, such as attention, vigor, or memory.

In usage, poistuma is intransitive: the subject undergoes a change of state rather than performing an action on an object. It often appears with phrases indicating leaving sight or presence, for example something can "poistuda silmist" or "poistuma kohast." The word belongs to Estonian’s native verb stock and forms part of standard tense and mood systems via auxiliaries and participles.

Semantically, poistuma is closely related to kaduda (to disappear) and lahkuma (to leave), but it emphasizes the dissolution of visibility or presence rather than simply movement away. It is common in natural description (fog, light, shadows), in social contexts (a person leaving a room), and in figurative language (attention or memories vanishing).

See also: kaduma, lahkuma, hajuma.