Where does “metsänneito” come from?

metsänneito (Finnish) comes from Finnish metsä, from Proto-Finnic *meccä, from Proto-Baltic medjas.

metsänneito (Finnish): wood nymph, dryad

Definitions

  1. wood nymph, dryad

Ancestry of “metsänneito”, step by step

metsänneito traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish metsä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmetsäforest, woods; bush; hunting
2Proto-Finnic*meccä—
3Proto-Balticmedjas—

via Finnish neito

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishneitomaiden, maid; nigella
Every word from Proto-Baltic medjas →Every word from Proto-Finnic *meccä →Every word from Finnish metsä →