Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *mela, of Finno-Permic origin.^[1] Cognates include Votic mõla ‎(“paddle, oar”), Finnish mela ‎(“oar”), Livvi mela ‎(“paddle, oar”), Ludian mela ‎(“oar”), Veps mela ‎(“oar”), Northern Sami mealli ‎(“oar”), Erzya [script needed] ‎(miľe, “oar, paddle”), Moksha [script needed] ‎(miľä, “oar, paddle”), [script needed] ‎(mǝľä), Komi-Zyrian [script needed] ‎(maľ, “oar”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɤlɑ/