vaurioituu

Vaurioituu is a Finnish intransitive verb meaning to become damaged or to deteriorate. It describes a process where a subject experiences harm or decline in condition, rather than an action carried out by someone else.

Morphology and usage: The verb is vaurioitua in the infinitive, and its present tense third-person singular is vaurioituu. The past tense is vaurioitui, and the past participle is vaurioitunut, used as an adjective meaning “damaged.” Finnish often contrasts vaurioituu with transitive forms such as vahingoittaa (to cause damage) and vahingoittua (to suffer harm).

Contexts and examples: Vaurioituu is commonly used for physical objects and systems, as well as for non-literal deterioration. Examples include: Auton kori voi vaurioitua kolhujen seurauksena. Rakenteet voivat vaurioitua iän myötä. Sähköverkko voi vaurioitua ukkosilman vaikutuksesta. Health-related or environmental contexts may also use vaurioituminen to describe damage or deterioration, though more specific terms are often preferred.

Etymology and related forms: Vaurioitua derives from the noun vaurio (damage) with a verb-forming suffix, indicating a process of becoming or undergoing. Related words include vaurioituunut (damaged, adjective) and vaurioituminen (damage or deterioration as a concept). The verb contrasts with vahingoittua, which emphasizes suffering harm, and with vahingoittaa, which means to cause damage.

See also: vaurio, vaurioituuntunut, vaurioituminen, vahingoittua, vahingoittaa. Vaurioituminen as a noun describes the general process of deterioration, while vaurioituneet objects are described with the adjective vaurioitunut.