Where does “маловероятный” come from?

маловероятный (Russian) comes from Russian ма́лый, from Old East Slavic малъ, from Proto-Slavic malъ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.

маловероятный (Russian): hardly probable, not likely, unlikely

Definitions

  1. hardly probable, not likely, unlikely

Ancestry of “маловероятный”, step by step

маловероятный traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Russian ма́лый

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianма́лыйlittle, not much; small
2Old East Slavicмалъsmall
3Proto-Slavicmalъsmall; little
4Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little

via Russian вероя́тный

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianвероя́тныйprobable, likely
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- →Every word from Proto-Slavic malъ →Every word from Old East Slavic малъ →