Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/viha

From Proto-Finno-Permic *wiša (compare Komi-Zyrian веж (vež, “jealousy”), Udmurt вож (vož, “hate”)), borrowed from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wišás (“poison”).^[1]

According to Katz and Parpola, the senses “hate, anger, rage” were originally a separate word, borrowed independently from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dwáyšas. However, the words have been associated with each other for a long time; a similar semantic connection is seen in Hungarian, where méreg (“poison, venom”) and mérges (“angry, mad”) are related.^[1] Furthermore, the reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-Iranian word in question with *-áy- (as opposed to *dwiša-) makes this etymology less phonetically likely (the expected result, if initial *dw- > *w- is taken for granted, would be **wajša or **wejšä, depending on the age of the borrowing).

*viha^[2]

1. poison, venom

   Synonym: *mürkkü

2. anger, rage, aggression
3. hate

• *vihainën (“angry”)
• ? *vihakka
• *vihat'ak (“to hate”)

• Estonian: viha
• Finnish: viha
• Ingrian: viha
• Karelian:
  • North Karelian: viha
  • South Karelian: viha
• Livonian: vijā
• Livvi: viha
• Ludian: viha
• Veps: viha
• Võro: viha
• Votic: viha

From earlier *wiša:

• → Proto-Samic: *vëšē

• “viha”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012
• Erkki Itkonen, Ulla-Maija Kulonen, editors (1992–2000), Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The Origin of Finnish Words]‎^[4] (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

From Proto-Uralic *wiša (compare Erzya ожо (ožo, “yellow”), Eastern Mari ужар (užar, “green”), Western Mari ыжар (yžar, “green”), Komi-Zyrian веж (vež, “green”), Udmurt вож (vož, “green”), Eastern Khanty вӑстә (wăstə, “green, unripe”) (Surgut), Northern Khanty вусты (wusty, “green”) (Kazym)).

Often associated with etymology 1 and thus with Indo-Iranian, primarily through the meaning “poison, venom”, more specifically a semantic development like “poison, venom” → “poison-colored, venom-colored” → “green ~ yellow”. However, Aikio (2025) argues that such a connection is unsubstantiated.^[1]

*viha

1. greenness

• *vihanta (“verdant; unripe”)
• *viherä (“green ~ yellow”)

• Finnish: (dialectal, obsolete) viha (in ruohonviha, lehdenviha)

• Erkki Itkonen, Ulla-Maija Kulonen, editors (1992–2000), “viha”, in Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The Origin of Finnish Words]‎^[5] (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
• Erkki Itkonen, Ulla-Maija Kulonen, editors (1992–2000), “vihanta”, in Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The Origin of Finnish Words]‎^[6] (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
• Erkki Itkonen, Ulla-Maija Kulonen, editors (1992–2000), “vihreä”, in Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The Origin of Finnish Words]‎^[7] (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

• Kallio, Petri (2020–), “*viha-nta”, in Yhteissuomalainen sanasto [Common Finnic Vocabulary]‎^[8] (in Finnish)