Where does “lei” come from?

lei (Northern Sami) comes from Northern Sami leat, from Proto-Samic leatēk, from Proto-Uralic le- — to become.

lei (Northern Sami): third-person singular past indicative of leat

Definitions

  1. third-person singular past indicative of leat

Ancestry of “lei”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Northern Samileatto be; to have, to possess
2Proto-Samicleatēkto be
3Proto-Uralicle-to become
Every word from Proto-Uralic le- →Every word from Proto-Samic leatēk →Every word from Northern Sami leat →
lei — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer