Where does “vaivainen” come from?

vaivainen (Finnish) comes from Finnish vaiva, from Proto-Finnic vaiva, from Proto-Germanic waiwô, from Proto-Indo-European wai — oh!; woe!.

vaivainen (Finnish): measly, paltry, miserable, wretched, pitiful,...

Definitions

  1. measly, paltry, miserable, wretched, pitiful,...

Ancestry of “vaivainen”, step by step

vaivainen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish vaiva

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishvaivabother, inconvenience; ailment
2Proto-Finnicvaivabother, inconvenience; pain, illness, torment
3Proto-Germanicwaiwôwoe, grief, misery; evil, wickedness, malice
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!

via Finnish inen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishinen

Words derived from “vaivainen

Every word from Proto-Indo-European waiEvery word from Proto-Germanic waiwôEvery word from Proto-Finnic vaiva