Where does “vaivaispoika” come from?

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

vaivaispoika (Finnish): pauper statue depicting a boy

Definitions

  1. pauper statue depicting a boy

Ancestry of “vaivaispoika”, step by step

vaivaispoika traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish vaivainen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishvaivainenmeasly, paltry, miserable, wretched, pitiful,...
2Finnishvaivabother, inconvenience; ailment
3Proto-Finnicvaivabother, inconvenience; pain, illness, torment
4Proto-Germanicwaiwôwoe, grief, misery; evil, wickedness, malice
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwaioh!; woe!

via Finnish poika

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpoikaboy; son; young
2Proto-Finnicpoikason; boy
3Proto-Uralicpojkaboy; son
Every word from Proto-Indo-European waiEvery word from Proto-Germanic waiwôEvery word from Proto-Finnic vaiva