Where does “napajänis” come from?

napajänis (Finnish) comes from Finnish napa, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *napa.

napajänis (Finnish): arctic hare

Definitions

  1. arctic hare

Ancestry of “napajänis”, step by step

napajänis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish napa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishnapanavel; pole; pivot
2Proto-Finno-Ugric*napa—

via Finnish jänis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishjänishare; mountain hare, "Lepus timidus"; stowaway
2Proto-Finnicjänishare
Every word from Proto-Finno-Ugric *napa →Every word from Finnish napa →