Where does “santa” come from?
santa (Finnish) comes from Swedish sand, from Old Swedish sander, from Old Norse sannr, from Proto-Germanic sanþaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁sónts, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs-.
santa (Finnish): sand
Ancestry of “santa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | sand | sand |
| 2 | Old Swedish | sander | true, real |
| 3 | Old Norse | sannr | true |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | sanþaz | true, real |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁sónts | active participle of *h₁ésti; being, existence;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ēs- | — |