Where does “metsänorsu” come from?

metsänorsu (Finnish) comes from Finnish norsu, from Finnish mursu, from Northern Sami morša, from Proto-Samic *moršë — walrus.

metsänorsu (Finnish): African forest elephant, "Loxodonta cyclotis"

Definitions

  1. African forest elephant, "Loxodonta cyclotis"

Ancestry of “metsänorsu”, step by step

metsänorsu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish norsu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishnorsuelephant
2Finnishmursuwalrus
3Northern Samimoršawalrus
4Proto-Samic*moršëwalrus

via Finnish metsä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmetsäforest, woods; bush; hunting
2Proto-Finnic*meccä—
3Proto-Balticmedjas—
Every word from Proto-Samic *moršë →Every word from Northern Sami morša →Every word from Finnish mursu →