Etymology Explorer › Finnish

Where does “Ruotsalainen” come from?

Ruotsalainen (Finnish) comes from Finnish ruotsi, from Proto-Finnic *roocci, from Old Swedish roþs-, from Old Norse róðr, from Proto-Germanic rōþrą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.

Ancestry of “Ruotsalainen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FinnishruotsiSwedish
2Proto-Finnic*roocci—
3Old Swedishroþs-related to rowing
4Old Norseróðr—
5Proto-Germanicrōþrąoar; rudder
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁reh₁-to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- →