valittaa

Unknown. Possibly from Old Norse vála (whence Icelandic vola), but a long -aa- would be expected. Perhaps simply onomatopoeic. Has the suffix -ttaa but probably not in any causative sense.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑlitːɑːˣ/,
• Rhymes: -ɑlitːɑː
• Hyphenation^(key): va‧lit‧taa

valittaa

1. (intransitive) to moan, groan (make a noise in response to a painful experience)

   Synonym: voihkia

2. (intransitive) to complain, grouse, gripe, whine (orally or in writing)

   Synonyms: purnata, (colloquial) inistä

   Kun ei ole varaa valita, niin ei ole varaa valittaa.

   Beggars cannot be choosers.

   (literally, “When you cannot afford to choose, you cannot afford to complain.”)

3. (intransitive, law) to appeal

   Mies valitti Helsingin käräjäoikeuden tuomiosta Helsingin hovioikeuteen.

   The man appealed the sentence of the Helsinki District Court to the Helsinki Court of Appeal.

4. (transitive, usually atelic) to apologize for, make one's apologies, be sorry, deplore, regret

   Valitan. ― I'm sorry.

• “valittaa”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

• valtiaat