Where does “pikkukirjain” come from?
pikkukirjain (Finnish) comes from Finnish kirjain, from Finnish kirjata, from Finnish kirja, from Proto-Finnic kirja — decoration, carving, pattern.
Ancestry of “pikkukirjain”, step by step
pikkukirjain traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish kirjain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | kirjain | letter; Genitive plural form of kirja |
| 2 | Finnish | kirjata | to book, log, register; to register |
| 3 | Finnish | kirja | book; quire |
| 4 | Proto-Finnic | kirja | decoration, carving, pattern |
via Finnish pikku
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | pikku | little, small; little old |
| 2 | Finnish | pieni | little, small; Third-person singular indicative... |
| 3 | Proto-Finnic | peeni | little, small; fine |