Where does “роусалка” come from?
роусалка (Old Church Slavonic) comes from Old Church Slavonic роусалиѩ, from Byzantine Greek ρουσάλια, from Latin rosalia, from Latin Rosa, from Ancient Greek ῥόδον, from Old Persian wurdi, from Proto-Germanic wurdiz, from Proto-Indo-European wrti- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ancestry of “роусалка”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Church Slavonic | роусалиѩ | — |
| 2 | Byzantine Greek | ρουσάλια | — |
| 3 | Latin | rosalia | ceremony of hanging up the garlands of roses |
| 4 | Latin | Rosa | rose |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ῥόδον | rose (usually Rosa gallica) |
| 6 | Old Persian | wurdi | flower |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wurdiz | fate, destiny |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wrti- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |