tarttu

Tarttu is a Finnish word-form that centers on the ideas of catching, seizing, and adhering. It is most commonly encountered as part of the verb tarttua, meaning to grab hold of or to cling, and as a productive base for related nouns and adjectives such as tarttuva (grasping, adhesive) and tarttuminen (the act of seizing or clinging). In standard Finnish, tarttu is not usually used as an independent lexeme outside of these derivational contexts.

Etymology and cognates in Finnic languages suggest that the root belongs to a semantic field tied to contact, attachment, and sticking. The exact historical development is reflected in the formation of related words rather than in a fixed standalone meaning.

Morphology and usage are driven by derivational patterns rather than by a fixed dictionary entry. The stem tarttu- appears in forms such as tarttua (infinitive), tarttuu (present), tarttuva (present participle), and tarttuminen (noun). Semantically, Tarttu covers both literal gripping, as in grabbing a handle, and figurative grasping of opportunities or ideas (for example, tarttua toimeen, to seize upon a chance).

In everyday Finnish, common phrases include tarttua kiinni, meaning to grab hold, and tarttuminen, referring to the act of taking hold or the process of adhesion. The nuance ranges from physical action to psychological or strategic attachment, depending on context.

See also tarttua, tarttuminen, tarttua kiinni.