Where does “pärlmutterpilv” come from?

pärlmutterpilv (Estonian) comes from Estonian pilv, from Proto-Finnic pilvi, from Proto-Uralic pilwe — cloud.

Ancestry of “pärlmutterpilv”, step by step

pärlmutterpilv traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Estonian pilv

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Estonianpilvcloud
2Proto-Finnicpilvicloud
3Proto-Uralicpilwecloud

via Estonian pärlmutter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Estonianpärlmuttermother-of-pearl, nacre
2GermanPerlmuttermother-of-pearl
3Latinmāter perlārum—
Every word from Proto-Uralic pilwe →Every word from Proto-Finnic pilvi →Every word from Estonian pilv →
pärlmutterpilv — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer