taipuu

Taipuu is the third-person singular present tense form of the Finnish verb taipua, meaning to bend, yield, or become flexible. It is used to describe something that changes shape under force, such as a material, or a person or situation that adapts to circumstances. The infinitive form is taipua. In everyday language, taipuu can refer both to physical bending and to metaphorical yielding or concession.

In use, taipuu often appears in descriptions of physical properties or behaviors. For example, puu taipuu helposti tuulen voimasta (wood bends easily under the force of the wind). In social or strategic contexts, it can express willingness to adapt or yield to pressure, as in hän taipuu paineen edessä (he yields under pressure). The word is closely related to other forms such as taipuisa (flexible, pliant) and taivuttaa (to bend something by applying force).

Linguistically, taipuu is part of a family of terms built from the root taip- that convey bending or flexibility. The concept spans everyday usage and technical discussions, including materials science and design, where taipuus or taipuuvuus (flexibility or pliability) may be used to describe how readily a material can bend without breaking.

See also: taivuttaa, taipuisa, taipuuvuus, taipuva. Taipuu remains primarily a common verb form in Finnish, with the broader concept of flexibility and bending appearing across both practical and metaphorical language.