värähtelevän

Värähtelevän is the genitive singular form of the present active participle värähtelevä, which is derived from the verb värähtää meaning to vibrate or tremble. As a participle, värähtelevä functions as an adjective and describes something that is in the state of vibrating. In Finnish, the participle agrees with the noun it modifies in case and number, which is why the form värähtelevän appears in phrases such as värähtelevän laitteen or värähtelevän signaalin.

Usage and meaning

Värähtelevän is most commonly found in noun phrases where the head noun is in a case other than nominative, often in the genitive to indicate possession or relationship. It can also appear in extended phrases within scientific, technical, or descriptive writing to convey that a device, system, or phenomenon is actively vibrating. The term is neutral and precise, suitable for describing physical oscillations, acoustic vibrations, or tremor-like behavior in materials and structures.

Examples

- värähtelevän laitteen kiertoväli on lyhyt (the oscillation period of the vibrating device is short).

- tutkimus tarkastelee värähtelevän signaalin taajuuskomponentteja (the study examines the frequency components of the vibrating signal).

- värähtelevän mekanismin säätö vaikuttaa järjestelmän vasteeseen (adjustment of the vibrating mechanism affects the system’s response).

Related terms

Värähtely (vibration), värähtelytaajuus (vibration frequency), värähtelijä (vibrator), and värähtelymittaus (vibration measurement) are closely related concepts. Värähtelevän serves as a grammatical form rather than a separate lexical entry, and appears in contexts where the participle describes ongoing vibration.