Where does “pitää vettä” come from?

pitää vettä (Finnish) comes from Finnish pitää, from Proto-Finnic pitädäk, from Proto-Finno-Ugric pitä-.

pitää vettä (Finnish): to hold water; both literally and figuratively

Definitions

  1. to hold water; both literally and figuratively

Ancestry of “pitää vettä”, step by step

pitää vettä traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish pitää

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpitääto hold, grasp, grip; to keep, take; to like, be...
2Proto-Finnicpitädäkto hold, to grasp; to keep
3Proto-Finno-Ugricpitä-—

via Finnish vesi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishvesiwater; lake; rheum
2Proto-Finnicveciwater
3Arabicوعاءvessel, container, bowl
Every word from Proto-Finno-Ugric pitä- →Every word from Proto-Finnic pitädäk →Every word from Finnish pitää →