Where does “päälinna” come from?

päälinna (Ingrian) comes from Ingrian pää, from Proto-Finnic pää, from Proto-Uralic päŋe — head.

päälinna (Ingrian): capital city

Definitions

  1. capital city

Ancestry of “päälinna”, step by step

päälinna traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Ingrian pää

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ingrianpäähead
2Proto-Finnicpäähead
3Proto-Uralicpäŋehead

via Ingrian linna

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ingrianlinnatown; city
2Proto-Finniclitnatown, city; fortification, fortress
Every word from Proto-Uralic päŋe →Every word from Proto-Finnic pää →Every word from Ingrian pää →
päälinna — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer