Where does “valehelmi” come from?
valehelmi (Finnish) comes from Finnish helmi, from Finnish Vilhelmiina, from German Wilhelmina, from German Wilhelm, from Old High German Willahelm, from Old High German helm, from Proto-West Germanic helm, from Proto-Germanic helmaz — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
Ancestry of “valehelmi”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | helmi | pearl; bead; gem |
| 2 | Finnish | Vilhelmiina | — |
| 3 | German | Wilhelmina | — |
| 4 | German | Wilhelm | William |
| 5 | Old High German | Willahelm | William |
| 6 | Old High German | helm | helmet |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | helm | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |