Where does “helmiäiskala” come from?
helmiäiskala (Finnish) comes from Finnish helmiäinen, from Finnish helmi, from Finnish Vilhelmiina, from German Wilhelmina, from German Wilhelm, from Old High German Willahelm, from Old High German helm, from Proto-West Germanic helm — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
helmiäiskala (Finnish): silver hatchetfish
Definitions
- silver hatchetfish
Ancestry of “helmiäiskala”, step by step
helmiäiskala traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish helmiäinen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | helmiäinen | nacre, mother-of-pearl |
| 2 | Finnish | helmi | pearl; bead; gem |
| 3 | Finnish | Vilhelmiina | — |
| 4 | German | Wilhelmina | — |
| 5 | German | Wilhelm | William |
| 6 | Old High German | Willahelm | William |
| 7 | Old High German | helm | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | helm | helmet |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |