Where does “pikkupiru” come from?

pikkupiru (Finnish) comes from Finnish pikku, from Finnish pieni, from Proto-Finnic peeni — little, small; fine.

pikkupiru (Finnish): gremlin, imp small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature

Definitions

  1. gremlin, imp small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature

Ancestry of “pikkupiru”, step by step

pikkupiru traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish pikku

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpikkulittle, small; little old
2Finnishpienilittle, small; Third-person singular indicative...
3Proto-Finnicpeenilittle, small; fine

via Finnish piru

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpiruthe Devil; a devil; An intensifier; used in...
2FinnishperkeleThe Devil, Satan; also Perkele; devil; A swear...
3Proto-Finnicperkelehevil spirit?
Every word from Proto-Finnic peeni →