FromProto-Finnic*äitei (compare Southern Ostrobothnianäitee,äiree), borrowed fromProto-Germanic*aiþį̄ (compareGothic𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌴𐌹(aiþei)). The front vowel in the word could perhaps be explained by influence from baby talk (which has also been suggested as an alternative etymology, comparetäti and baby speakäittä-äittä-tättä). Mostly displacedemä (<Proto-Finnic*emä), which is now only used for animals in Finnish but is used (also) for humans in dialects and in other Finnic languages. Cognate withEstonianeit(“old woman”);Võroäide,äidi,ääde(“mother, grandmother”).
The following declension without gradation is not part of standard Finnish, and is consideredcolloquial. It can also be used to give the text adialectal orchildish nuance. It is somewhat more common when referring to one's own mother.
“äiti”, inKielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki:Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland),2004–, retrieved1 July 2023
