Where does “pealinn” come from?

pealinn (Estonian) comes from Estonian pea, from Proto-Finnic pää, from Proto-Uralic päŋe — head.

pealinn (Estonian): capital city

Definitions

  1. capital city

Ancestry of “pealinn”, step by step

pealinn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Estonian pea

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Estonianpeahead; almost; soon, immediately, quickly
2Proto-Finnicpäähead
3Proto-Uralicpäŋehead

via Estonian linn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Estonianlinncity
2Proto-Finniclitnatown, city; fortification, fortress
Every word from Proto-Uralic päŋe →Every word from Proto-Finnic pää →Every word from Estonian pea →