heilua

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *hëiludak. Cognates include Karelian heiluo, Veps heiluda. Also compare häilyä, Votic häülüä.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhei̯luɑˣ/, [ˈhe̞i̯luɑ̝(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -eiluɑ
• Syllabification^(key): hei‧lu‧a
• Hyphenation^(key): hei‧lua

Verb

heilua

1. to swing, to sway, to rock (to move backward and forward)

   Kasvi heilui tuulessa.

   The plant swung in the breeze.

2. to be loose

   Hampaani heiluu.

   My tooth is loose.

3. to swing (to hang on the gallows)
4. to vacillate (to sway unsteadily from one side to the other)
5. to vacillate (to swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another).

   Berliinin kaduilla Ruth ja hänen maanmiehensä heiluivat toivon ja epätoivon välillä.

   On the streets of Berlin, Ruth and her compatriots vacillated between hope and despair.

6. to oscillate (to swing back and forth, especially with a regular rhythm)

   Heiluri heiluu hitaammin, kun se pitenee.

   A pendulum oscillates slower as it gets longer.

7. (colloquial) to wander around, to roam
8. (colloquial) to loiter, to idle

Further reading

• “heilua”, 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 2023-07-02

Anagrams

• liehua