Where does “tunnuskirjain” come from?

tunnuskirjain (Finnish) comes from Finnish tunnus, from Finnish tuntea, from Proto-Finnic tuntedak, from Proto-Uralic tumte- — to know.

tunnuskirjain (Finnish): identification letter a letter of the alphabet used to identify something

Definitions

  1. identification letter a letter of the alphabet used to identify something

Ancestry of “tunnuskirjain”, step by step

tunnuskirjain traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish tunnus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishtunnusmarking; insignia, emblem, seal, banner; sign,...
2Finnishtunteato feel, sense; to know, be familiar with
3Proto-Finnictuntedakto know; to feel
4Proto-Uralictumte-to know

via Finnish kirjain

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishkirjainletter; Genitive plural form of kirja
2Finnishkirjatato book, log, register; to register
3Finnishkirjabook; quire
4Proto-Finnickirjadecoration, carving, pattern
Every word from Proto-Uralic tumte- →Every word from Proto-Finnic tuntedak →Every word from Finnish tuntea →
tunnuskirjain — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer