Where does “maatuska” come from?
maatuska (Finnish) comes from Russian ма́тушка, from Russian мать, from Old East Slavic мати, from Proto-Slavic mati, from Proto-Balto-Slavic mā́ˀtē, from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr — mother.
maatuska (Finnish): A matryoshka doll
Ancestry of “maatuska”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | ма́тушка | mother, mum |
| 2 | Russian | мать | mother |
| 3 | Old East Slavic | мати | mother |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | mati | mother |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | mā́ˀtē | mother |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |