Where does “merimaali” come from?

merimaali (Finnish) comes from Finnish maali, from Old Swedish māl, from Old Swedish māla, from Old Norse mála, from Middle Low German mālen, from Old Saxon *mālōn, from Proto-West Germanic *mālēn, from Proto-Albanian melana — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

merimaali (Finnish): sea target for shooting, etc

Definitions

  1. sea target for shooting, etc

Ancestry of “merimaali”, step by step

merimaali traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish maali

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmaalipaint; target; goal
2Old Swedishmālmeasure, amount; sign
3Old Swedishmālato paint
4Old Norsemálato grind
5Middle Low Germanmālento draw, paint; to paint
6Old Saxon*mālōn—
7Proto-West Germanic*mālēnto paint
8Proto-Albanianmelanablack
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-n-dull black
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
11Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
12Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via Finnish meri

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmerisea
2Proto-Finnicmerisea
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂- →
merimaali — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer