Piibelehe (Piibeleht)
Lit. pipe-leaf, alternative name for Maikellukese, lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, etymology uncertain: piip:piibu prob. from Swed. pipa (pipe or whistle, the pipe being the whitish stem of a clay pipe, which could resemble one of its rhizomes), but the association of leht:lehe tacked onto piip:piibu suggests the whistling noise made by tensing two leaves, like blades of grass, between the fingers and blowing. In English, the tip of the rhizome (for some, the rhizome itself or even the entire plant) is called a ‘pip’, so we’re dealing with a much time-bemisted word here.







