Where does “rikinkatku” come from?

rikinkatku (Finnish) comes from Finnish rikki, from Finnish rikkoa, from Proto-Finnic rikkodak — to break; to ruin, to mar, to damage.

rikinkatku (Finnish): smell of sulfur

Definitions

  1. smell of sulfur

Ancestry of “rikinkatku”, step by step

rikinkatku traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish rikki

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishrikkisulfur, sulphur; broken
2Finnishrikkoato break; to violate, breach; to offend, to...
3Proto-Finnicrikkodakto break; to ruin, to mar, to damage

via Finnish katku

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishkatkufume(s) strong, unpleasant and stinging smell caused by something burning
Every word from Proto-Finnic rikkodak →Every word from Finnish rikkoa →Every word from Finnish rikki →