Where does “nelimaali” come from?
nelimaali (Finnish) comes from Finnish maali, from Old Swedish māl, from Old Swedish māla, from Old Norse mála, from Middle Low German mālen, from Old Saxon *mālōn, from Proto-West Germanic *mālēn, from Proto-Albanian melana — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
nelimaali (Finnish): A simple baseball-like ballgame with four bases, played chiefly by children
Definitions
- A simple baseball-like ballgame with four bases, played chiefly by children
Ancestry of “nelimaali”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | maali | paint; target; goal |
| 2 | Old Swedish | māl | measure, amount; sign |
| 3 | Old Swedish | māla | to paint |
| 4 | Old Norse | mála | to grind |
| 5 | Middle Low German | mālen | to draw, paint; to paint |
| 6 | Old Saxon | *mālōn | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *mālēn | to paint |
| 8 | Proto-Albanian | melana | black |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-n- | dull black |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |