Where does “pyssymies” come from?

pyssymies (Finnish) comes from Finnish pyssy, from Old Swedish byssa, from Middle Low German busse, from Old Saxon *buhsa, from Proto-Germanic *buhsā, from Latin buxis, from Latin pyxis, from Ancient Greek πυξίς — box tree; boxwood.

pyssymies (Finnish): gunman

Definitions

  1. gunman

Ancestry of “pyssymies”, step by step

pyssymies traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish pyssy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpyssygun, handgun
2Old Swedishbyssa
3Middle Low Germanbussegun
4Old Saxon*buhsa
5Proto-Germanic*buhsā
6Latinbuxisa box
7LatinpyxisA small box, for holding medicines or toiletries
8Ancient Greekπυξίςbox made of boxwood, box; tablet made of boxwood;...
9Ancient Greekπύξοςbox tree; boxwood

via Finnish mies

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmiesman; husband
2Proto-Finnicmeesman, male; husband
3Proto-Finnicmeexes
Every word from Ancient Greek πύξος