Where does “улам” come from?

улам (Eastern Mari) comes from Eastern Mari улаш, from Proto-Uralic wole- — to be, become; be, will be.

Ancestry of “улам”, step by step

улам traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Eastern Mari улаш

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Eastern Mariулашto be
2Proto-Uralicwole-to be, become; be, will be

via Eastern Mari ам

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Eastern Mariам—
Every word from Proto-Uralic wole- →Every word from Eastern Mari улаш →