Where does “hiilikala” come from?

hiilikala (Finnish) comes from Finnish kala, from Proto-Finnic kala, from Proto-Uralic kälä — fish.

Ancestry of “hiilikala”, step by step

hiilikala traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish kala

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishkalafish; fishing; seafood
2Proto-Finnickalafish
3Proto-Uralickäläfish

via Finnish hiili

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishhiilicoal; charcoal; carbon
2Proto-Finnichiilicharcoal; ember
Every word from Proto-Uralic kälä →Every word from Proto-Finnic kala →Every word from Finnish kala →