Where does “käpykala” come from?

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

Ancestry of “käpykala”, step by step

käpykala traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish kala

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

via Finnish käpy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishkäpyconifer's cone, strobilus
2Proto-Turkickäpä—
Every word from Proto-Uralic kälä →Every word from Proto-Finnic kala →Every word from Finnish kala →