Where does “tennismaila” come from?
tennismaila (Finnish) comes from Finnish Maila, from Swedish malj, from French mail, from English email, from Middle French email, from Old French esmal, from Latin smaltum, from Frankish smalt — to soften, to melt.
tennismaila (Finnish): A tennis racket
Ancestry of “tennismaila”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | Maila | — |
| 2 | Swedish | malj | — |
| 3 | French | mail | maul; pall mall mallet; pall mall |
| 4 | English | email | A system for transferring messages from one... |
| 5 | Middle French | email | — |
| 6 | Old French | esmal | enamel |
| 7 | Latin | smaltum | enamel |
| 8 | Frankish | smalt | melted fat; fat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | smeltaną | to melt |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |