Where does “lankkipoika” come from?
lankkipoika (Finnish) comes from Finnish lankki, from Swedish blank, from Middle Low German blank, from Old Saxon blank, from Proto-Germanic *blank, from Proto-Germanic blankaz, from Proto-Indo-European bhleg- — to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch.
lankkipoika (Finnish): shoeshine boy
Ancestry of “lankkipoika”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | lankki | shoe polish |
| 2 | Swedish | blank | reflective, shiny; smooth |
| 3 | Middle Low German | blank | — |
| 4 | Old Saxon | blank | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |