Where does “metsäunihiiri” come from?

metsäunihiiri (Finnish) comes from Finnish unihiiri, from Finnish hiiri, from Proto-Finnic hiiri, from Proto-Uralic šiŋere — mouse.

metsäunihiiri (Finnish): forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula

Definitions

  1. forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula

Ancestry of “metsäunihiiri”, step by step

metsäunihiiri traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish unihiiri

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishunihiiridormouse any of several small rodents in the family Gliridae
2FinnishhiiriA mouse, used rather indiscriminately for a...
3Proto-Finnichiirimouse
4Proto-Uralicšiŋeremouse

via Finnish metsä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmetsäforest, woods; bush; hunting
2Proto-Finnic*meccä—
3Proto-Balticmedjas—
Every word from Proto-Uralic šiŋere →Every word from Proto-Finnic hiiri →Every word from Finnish hiiri →
metsäunihiiri — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer