Where does “velli” come from?

velli (Karelian) comes from Proto-Finnic velji, from Proto-Germanic swelijō, from Proto-Indo-European swé — self.

velli (Karelian): brother

Definitions

  1. brother

Ancestry of “velli”, step by step

velli traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Finnic velji

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Finnicveljibrother
2Proto-Germanicswelijōsister's husband
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswéself

via Finnish velli

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishvelligruel
2Swedishvällinggruel, soup made from cereal, thin porridge
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swé →Every word from Proto-Germanic swelijō →Every word from Proto-Finnic velji →