Where does “matata” come from?
matata (Swahili) comes from Finnish matta, from Swedish mått, from Old Swedish mat, from Middle Low German mât, from Old Saxon māt, from Pali mātu, from Proto-Germanic mētō, from Proto-Indo-European med- — to measure; to give advice; healing.
matata (Swahili): trouble, problems
Definitions
- trouble, problems
Ancestry of “matata”, step by step
matata traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish matta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | matta | matte |
| 2 | Swedish | mått | a measure; a measure, an action |
| 3 | Old Swedish | mat | — |
| 4 | Middle Low German | mât | — |
| 5 | Old Saxon | māt | — |
| 6 | Pali | mātu | gen/dat singular of mātar; alternative stem of... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mētō | measure; size |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |