Where does “päällepäin” come from?

päällepäin (Finnish) comes from Finnish päin, from Finnish pää, from Proto-Finnic pää, from Proto-Uralic päŋe — head.

päällepäin (Finnish): on the surface, on top, superficially

Definitions

  1. on the surface, on top, superficially

Ancestry of “päällepäin”, step by step

päällepäin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish päin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpäinagainst, to, on etc; Used to indicate approximate...
2Finnishpäähead; end, tip
3Proto-Finnicpäähead
4Proto-Uralicpäŋehead

via Finnish päälle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpäälleallative singular of pää; on; on, on
Every word from Proto-Uralic päŋe →Every word from Proto-Finnic pää →Every word from Finnish pää →