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
- roughly, more or less, by and large
Ancestry of “suurinpiirtein”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | piirre | feature; cast; trait |
| 2 | Finnish | piirtää | to draw, sketch; to design, draft; to outline,... |
| 3 | Finnish | piiri | ring of people; administrative district, region;... |
| 4 | Proto-Finnic | piiri | — |
| 5 | Proto-Uralic | pire | circle |