Where does “harppuunapyssy” come from?
harppuunapyssy (Finnish) comes from Finnish harppuuna, from Swedish harpun, from Dutch harpoen, from Middle Dutch arpoen, from Middle French harpon, from Old French harpon, from Old French harpe, from Latin harpa — to cut, cut off, sever.
harppuunapyssy (Finnish): speargun; harpoon gun
Definitions
- speargun; harpoon gun
Ancestry of “harppuunapyssy”, step by step
harppuunapyssy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish harppuuna
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | harppuuna | harpoon; short for harppuunapyssy or... |
| 2 | Swedish | harpun | harpoon |
| 3 | Dutch | harpoen | A harpoon, short spearlike weapon with... |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | arpoen | — |
| 5 | Middle French | harpon | hook, hold-on |
| 6 | Old French | harpon | — |
| 7 | Old French | harpe | harp |
| 8 | Latin | harpa | harp |
| 9 | Frankish | harpā | harp |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | harpǭ | harp |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kreb- | to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
via Finnish pyssy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | pyssy | gun, handgun |
| 2 | Old Swedish | byssa | — |
| 3 | Middle Low German | busse | gun |
| 4 | Old Saxon | *buhsa | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *buhsā | — |
| 6 | Latin | buxis | a box |
| 7 | Latin | pyxis | A small box, for holding medicines or toiletries |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πυξίς | box made of boxwood, box; tablet made of boxwood;... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | πύξος | box tree; boxwood |