From: Peter P
Message: 63800
Date: 2009-04-14
>Another Finnish word that belongs here is ymmärtää - to understand, that is to enclose an idea in one's mind. Interstingly Häkkinen mentions that some have argued unconvincingly for the Germanic origin, and she favours 'unkown' as the best origin of the above words. So I guess another point for Torsten.
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > 5.
> > umpe 'closed, closed state' FP
> > ?[ Finn. umpi 'closed state':
> > ummessa silmin, silmät ummessa 'with closed eyes',
> > tie on ummessa 'the road is snowed under';
> > Estonian umbe 'closed, inaccessible, unbroken (of road), clogged,
> > not ready, opaque, incomprehensible',
> > umb, umbes 'quite, completely, over and over' |
> >
>
> The SSA gives this origin for...
> umpi - enclosed
> ympäri - all around (lative case)
> ympyrä - hoop, ring,
>
> < germ. *umbi
>
> Peter P
>