viljeldama

Viljeldama is an Estonian verb that appears in historical and some regional dialect sources, generally associated with the cultivation or tilling of crops. In English, it is often rendered as “to cultivate” or “to till the soil,” with reference to growing grain or other crops.

Etymology and form: the word is commonly analyzed as linked to vili, the Estonian word for grain or cereal, with a verb-forming suffix. Some dialectal forms show variations such as viljelema, and the exact morphological path can vary between historical texts and regional speech. In as much as it is attested, viljeldama is framed as a farming-related activity rather than a general verb for growing.

Usage and attestation: viljeldama is not part of standard contemporary Estonian usage and is largely found in older manuscripts, rural speech, or dialect collections. In modern language, more common expressions for the act of cultivating are viljelema or harima, with viljelus as the noun for cultivation. Because viljeldama is rare in current usage, its precise senses may differ by source, and it is frequently described as archaic or dialectal.

See also: vili (grain), viljelus (cultivation), kasvatamine (growing or cultivation in a general sense), harimine or harimine (to plow or farm in some contexts in Estonian dialects).