perkele

• prkl (Internet slang)

From Proto-Finnic *perkeleh, which derives from the name of the Baltic deity of thunder; compare Lithuanian Perkūnas and Proto-Slavic *Perunъ (“god of thunder”). After Finland's conquest (c. 1250) and subsequent Christianization, its meaning changed to a profanity and a euphemism for Satan at least partly due to the influence of the clergy. Erzya пурьгине (puŕgińe, “thunder”) is from the same Baltic source.

• IPA^(key): /ˈperkeleˣ/, [ˈpe̞rk̟e̞le̞(ʔ)]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -erkele
• Hyphenation^(key): per‧ke‧le

perkele (vulgar)

1. A swear word.

   Perkele, se on hidas!

   Damn it's slow!

Usually considered to have a particular strength or seriousness compared to other swear words, despite not being considered as dirty.

• saatana

perkele

1. The Devil, Satan; also Perkele
2. devil

• paholainen
• piru
• saatana
• sielunvihollinen

• Kven: perkelet
• → Danish: (obsolete) perkild
• → Swedish: (dialectal) perkel, pärkel

perkele (not comparable) (vulgar)

1. bloody, goddamn, fucking (intensifier)

   Se on perkeleen ruma.

   It's so bloody ugly.

• perkeleellinen

• “perkele”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

From Perkele (“Devil”)

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈperkele/, [ˈpe̞rke̞lʲ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈperkele/, [ˈpe̞rke̞le̞]
• Rhymes: -erkel, -erkele
• Hyphenation: per‧ke‧le

perkele

1. (vulgar) damn!

• helvetti, saatana

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 399