Where does “suurinpiirtein” come from?

suurinpiirtein (Finnish) comes from Finnish piirre, from Finnish piirtää, from Finnish piiri, from Proto-Finnic piiri, from Proto-Uralic pire — circle.

suurinpiirtein (Finnish): roughly, more or less, by and large

Definitions

  1. roughly, more or less, by and large

Ancestry of “suurinpiirtein”, step by step

suurinpiirtein traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish piirre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpiirrefeature; cast; trait
2Finnishpiirtääto draw, sketch; to design, draft; to outline,...
3Finnishpiiriring of people; administrative district, region;...
4Proto-Finnicpiiriline; border; ring, circle
5Proto-Uralicpirecircle

via Finnish suuri

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishsuurilarge; big; great
2Proto-Finnicsuuribig, large
3Proto-Germanicstūra-—
Every word from Proto-Uralic pire →Every word from Proto-Finnic piiri →Every word from Finnish piiri →