Where does “viipekeel” come from?

viipekeel (Estonian) comes from Estonian keel, from Proto-Finnic keeli, from Proto-Uralic käle — tongue; language.

viipekeel (Estonian): sign language

Definitions

  1. sign language

Ancestry of “viipekeel”, step by step

viipekeel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Estonian keel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Estoniankeellanguage; tongue; string of musical instrument
2Proto-Finnickeelitongue; language
3Proto-Uralickäletongue; language

via Estonian viibe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Estonianviibe—
Every word from Proto-Uralic käle →Every word from Proto-Finnic keeli →Every word from Estonian keel →