Where does “elämänlanka” come from?

elämänlanka (Finnish) comes from Finnish lanka, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *lanka, from Proto-Germanic langô, from Proto-Germanic langaz, from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos — long.

elämänlanka (Finnish): thread of life metaphor for the lifespan of an individual

Definitions

  1. thread of life metaphor for the lifespan of an individual

Ancestry of “elämänlanka”, step by step

elämänlanka traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish lanka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishlankayarn; thread; wire
2Proto-Finno-Ugric*lanka—
3Proto-Germaniclangô—
4Proto-Germaniclangazlong
5Proto-Indo-Europeandlongʰoslong

via Finnish elämä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishelämälife; Agent participle of elää
2Estonianelamato live
3Proto-Finnicelädäkto live
4Proto-Uralicelä-to live
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos →Every word from Proto-Germanic langaz →Every word from Proto-Germanic langô →