Where does “Tartu” come from?
Tartu (English) comes from Estonian Tartu, from Estonian Tarbatu, from Estonian tarvas, from Proto-Finnic tarvas, from Proto-Finnic tawras, from Proto-Balto-Slavic taurás, from Proto-Indo-European táwros — wild bull, aurochs.
Ancestry of “Tartu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Estonian | Tartu | — |
| 2 | Estonian | Tarbatu | — |
| 3 | Estonian | tarvas | aurochs; European bison, wisent |
| 4 | Proto-Finnic | tarvas | ? aurochs |
| 5 | Proto-Finnic | tawras | — |
| 6 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | taurás | aurochs, wisent |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | táwros | wild bull, aurochs |