Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/peeni
Proto-Finnic
Etymology
Unknown. Borrowing from Proto-Germanic *spēnuz, as once proposed, is not possible due to semantic and phonetic issues (it, however, was probably borrowed into Finnic as *pëëna). If the Finnic word goes back to earlier *päne, it could be related to Proto-Uralic *pänɜ- (“to grind”) (akin to Proto-Uralic *pänɜ (“grindstone”), whence e.g. Hungarian fen), through a development like "to grind (fine)" > "fine" > "small", although this kind of zero derivation of an adjective from a verb has no known parallels.
Adjective
*peeni[1]
Inflection
Inflection of *peeni
| Note: The Proto-Finnic declension system is yet to be reconstructed in detail. What is presented here is only one possibility. | |||
| singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *peeni | *peenet | |
| accusative | *peenen | *peenet | |
| genitive | *peenen | *peenden *peeniden | |
| partitive | *peentä | *peenidä | |
| inessive | *peenessä *peenehnä |
*peenissä *peenihnä | |
| elative | *peenestä | *peenistä | |
| illative | *peenehen | *peenihen | |
| adessive | *peenellä | *peenillä | |
| ablative | *peeneltä | *peeniltä | |
| allative | *peenelen *peenelek |
*peenilen *peenilek | |
| essive | *peennä | *peeninä | |
| translative | *peeneksi | *peeniksi | |
| instructive | *peenen | *peenin | |
| comitative | *peennek | *peeninek | |
| abessive | *peenettä | *peenittä | |
Descendants
- Estonian: peen
- Finnish: pieni
- Ingrian: peeni, peen
- Karelian: pieni
- Livonian: pien
- Ludian: pien'
- Veps: pen'
- Votic: peeni
- →⇒ Old Novgorodian: Пинега (Pinega) (+ *juka (“small river; waterfall”))
References
Further reading
- Itkonen, Erkki, Kulonen, Ulla-Maija, editors (1992–2000), “pieni”, in Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The Origin of Finnish Words][2] (in Finnish) (online version; note: also includes other etymological sources; this source is labeled "SSA 1992–2000"), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN
- “peen”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012