Where does “tappihiiri” come from?
tappihiiri (Finnish) comes from Finnish tappi, from Swedish tapp, from Swedish täppa, from Old Norse tapa, from Proto-Germanic tappōną — to tap.
tappihiiri (Finnish): pointing stick
Ancestry of “tappihiiri”, step by step
tappihiiri traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish tappi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | tappi | peg; tap, spigot; plug |
| 2 | Swedish | tapp | cone cell |
| 3 | Swedish | täppa | to block or obstruct a passage, "e.g." a leak |
| 4 | Old Norse | tapa | to lose |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tappōną | to tap |
via Finnish hiiri
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | hiiri | A mouse, used rather indiscriminately for a... |
| 2 | Proto-Finnic | hiiri | mouse |
| 3 | Proto-Uralic | šiŋere | mouse |