Where does “riivaaja” come from?

riivaaja (Finnish) comes from Finnish riivata, from Old Swedish drīva, from Old Norse drífa, from Proto-Germanic drībaną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰreybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.

riivaaja (Finnish): evil spirit, demon one that needs to be exorcised

Definitions

  1. evil spirit, demon one that needs to be exorcised

Ancestry of “riivaaja”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FinnishriivataTo obsess
2Old Swedishdrīvadrive forward; push on
3Old Norsedrífa—
4Proto-Germanicdrībanąto drive, push, compel to go
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰreybʰ-to drive, push
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰreybʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic drībaną →
riivaaja — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer