Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/etelä

This Proto-Finnic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Finnic

Etymology

From *ete- (“front, pre-, fore-”) +‎ *-la (“locative suffix”). The association of "front" with "south" or "southwest" is because dwellings tended to be built facing in that direction (as that is where the sun shines from at noon in northern Europe).

Noun

*etelä

1. south-southwest

Inflection

Inflection of *etelä

Note: The Proto-Finnic declension system is yet to be reconstructed in detail. What is presented here is only one possibility.
		singular	plural
nominative		*etelä	*etelät
accusative		*etelän	*etelät
genitive		*etelän	*eteläden *eteleiden
partitive		*etelätä	*eteleitä
inessive		*etelässä *etelähnä	*eteleissä *eteleihnä
elative		*etelästä	*eteleistä
illative		*eteläsen	*eteleisen
adessive		*etelällä	*eteleillä
ablative		*etelältä	*eteleiltä
allative		*etelälen *etelälek	*eteleilen *eteleilek
essive		*etelänä	*eteleinä
translative		*eteläksi	*eteleiksi
instructive		*etelän	*etelein
comitative		*etelänek	*eteleinek
abessive		*etelättä	*eteleittä

Descendants

• Estonian: edel (“southwest”)
• Finnish: etelä (“south”)
• Ingrian: etelä (“southwest”)
• Livonian: jedāl (“south”)
• Votic: etele (“southwest”)