sisu

Borrowed from Finnish sisu, documented in English since at least 1940.

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪsʉː/

sisu (uncountable)

1. Strength of will in the face of adversity; grit; perseverance; regarded as an integral part of Finnish culture.
   • 1940 January 8, “Northern Theatre:Sisu”, in Time Magazine:

     Last week the Finns gave the world a good example of sisu by carrying the war into Russian territory on one front while on another they withstood merciless attacks by a reinforced Russian Army.

   • 1999, Norma J. Livo, George O. Livo, The Enchanted Wood and Other Tales from Finland, →ISBN, page 5:

     People living in northern climates need plenty of sisu.

   • 2016, Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, →ISBN:

     We agreed there was a pressing need for a systematic investigation of sisu, how Finns think about it, how it is propagated.

   • 2016, Katie Falkowski, GRIND: Greatness Rises in Each New Day: Get up, Show up, and Grind, →ISBN:

     Life requires all of us to have a certain level of sisu when things get tough, which they inevitably will.

• sumud (similar Palestinian concept)

• https://web.archive.org/web/20111223131533/http://www.finlandia.edu/
• http://www.sisugrp.com/sisuis.htm

• Sius

From sise- +‎ -u. Cognate with Finnish sisu.

sisu (genitive sisu, partitive sisu)

1. content, something that is inside

• sisustus
• sisukas

From sisä- (“inner”) +‎ -u. Originally referred to one's physical interior (compare sisus, sisusta), hence the meaning 'core; spirit' and thus 'courage, determination'. Compare Estonian sisu (“content”) and the development of English guts.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsisu/, [ˈs̠is̠u]
• Rhymes: -isu
• Syllabification^(key): si‧su
• Hyphenation^(key): si‧su

sisu

1. perseverance, doggedness, stubbornness, grit, stamina, spunk, determination, courage, guts (unwavering strength to keep going when the going gets tough)

   Voimamme olivat aivan lopussa, mutta jatkoimme pelkällä sisulla.

   We were completely exhausted but continued out of pure determination / to spite fate.

   Hänellä on paljon sisua. Luulen, että hän jaksaa siksi juosta pitkään.

   He has a lot of stamina. I suppose that is why he can run for a long time.

   Onko sinulla sisua sanoa "ei" pomollesi?

   Do you have the guts to say "no" to your boss?

2. sisu (often with the attribute suomalainen (“Finnish”)) (strength of will in the face of adversity; grit; perseverance; regarded as an integral part of Finnish culture)
   • 1967, Jörn Donner, Uusi Maammekirja, Otava, page 54:

     En tiedä, kuka ja ketkä ovat vastuussa siitä, että Suomen saavutusten uskotaan olevan sisun aikaansaannosta. Sotakorvauksia on pidetty sellaisena, mutta myös 1950—60 -lukujen vaihteessa tapahtunutta teollisuuden laajentumista. Haluan varoittaa sinua: kaikki tämä on pelkkää myyttiä, jolla ei ole mitään tekemistä todellisuuden kanssa. Kestävyys ei ole tässä maassa sen suurempaa kuin muuallakaan.

     I don't know who is responsible for the idea that all Finnish achievements are believed to be due to the famous Finnish sisu. These have included the payment of war reparations, but also the expansion of industry that took place at the turn 1950s and 1960s. I want to warn you: all this is a mere myth, which has nothing to do with reality. Perseverance isn't any greater in this country than elsewhere.

   • 2011, Onni Palaste, Talvisodan ääniä [Voices of the Winter War], WSOY, →ISBN:

     Kymmenkertaisella jalkaväen ylivoimalla, kymmenkertaisen tykistömäärän tukemana ja 150 hyökkäysvaunun voimalla vihollinen avasi tietä jalkaväelle, vastassaan vain suomalainen sisu.

     With tenfold superiority in number of troops, backed with a tenfold amount of artillery and with a force of 150 tanks, the enemy opened the passage for its infantry, opposed only by the famous Finnish sisu.

3. temper (tendency to be of a certain type of mood, especially of a bad or defiant one)

   Komentelu kävi hänen sisulleen.

   The bossing tried his temper.

   • 1776, Biblia, se on: koko Pyhä Raamattu suomexi [The Bible, i.e. the entire Holy Bible in Finnish], Ensimäinen Samuelin kirja (1 Samuel) 17:28:

     Minä tiedän ſinun ylpeytes ja ſydämes pahan ſiſun

     I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart

• (perseverance, doggedness, grit): peräänantamattomuus, lannistumattomuus, sinnikkyys, tahdonvoima

• “sisu”, 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 3 July 2023

• Susi, suis, susi

Inherited from Proto-Austronesian *susu.

sisu

1. (anatomy) breast

-sisu- ^[1]

1. to live
2. to exist, to be

• asisu yam
• kusisu, bala

sísu

1. belly, stomach

sísu class 7 (plural tísu class 8)

1. stomach

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

sisu (Cyrillic spelling сису)

1. accusative singular of sisa

sisu m

1. sissoo

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

sísu class 7 (plural tísu class 8)

1. stomach
2. pregnancy

This noun needs an inflection-table template.