Where does “mustamaalaaminen” come from?
mustamaalaaminen (Finnish) comes from Finnish mustamaalata, from Finnish maalata, from Finnish maali, from Old Swedish māl, from Old Swedish māla, from Old Norse mála, from Middle Low German mālen, from Old Saxon *mālōn — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
Ancestry of “mustamaalaaminen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | mustamaalata | to denigrate, defame, discredit to criticise so as to besmirch |
| 2 | Finnish | maalata | to paint; to select, highlight; to score |
| 3 | Finnish | maali | paint; target; goal |
| 4 | Old Swedish | māl | measure, amount; sign |
| 5 | Old Swedish | māla | to paint |
| 6 | Old Norse | mála | to grind |
| 7 | Middle Low German | mālen | to draw, paint; to paint |
| 8 | Old Saxon | *mālōn | — |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | *mālēn | to paint |
| 10 | Proto-Albanian | melana | black |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-n- | dull black |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |