Komeedi (Komeet)
Comet. This was a type example used by Aavik in his Keeleuuendus, or language renovation, for creating new words. To avoid convoluted expressions such as täht, mil saba on (periphrase): star, which has a tail; sabaga täht (syntagm): star with tail; or sabatäht (compound word): tail-star; all of which fail to meet his demand for simplicity, aesthetics and efficiency, you pick a new one from selected sources and Bob sinu onu on! It was probably the comet which manifested the adoption of a medieval belief in the money-goblin (perhaps a hand-me-down from old legends of finders of hoards of gold [see Kalevipoja], not forgetting that Estonia has one of the richest collections of hoards in Europe), a helpful little chap that flew about collecting (nicking) milk, butter, grain, etc., for its master and/or causing discord between various parties; names of its multiple manifestations include: Tulihänd, fire-tail; Pisuhänd, spark-tail (also the title of what may be Vilde E.’s best-known play); and Kratt (see Kari). Celestial street-name group, see Kuu. Previously Tähe, (1908-1959) aka Sternstraße (not to be confused with Dunkri) (1907-?), reappearing in 1942 after the III Reich’s February 2nd declaration that German was now the official state language in the besetzten Ostgebiete or Occupied Eastern Territories.
Aia (Aed)
Fence, enclosure, garden, run. However, as in English where ‘garden’ originally meant that which enclosed it, as in, for example, Latin: hortus gardinus, ‘enclosed garden’, deriving from Proto Indo-European (PIE) *gher- ‘to grasp, to enclose’ (cf. Old English geard ‘enclosure, garden, house’, etc.) ultimately giving rise to Old Church Slavonic gradu*, ‘town, city’ and Russian город (gorod), град (-grad), English girdle and yard, and related to PIE *gherdh- ‘staff, pole’. The same seems to apply in Estonian where the aed originally meant an enclosure made of pickets (cf. Finnish aita, fence). Only Tallinn street name a palindrome in the genitive, but not the nominative. Rare in existing in 3 varieties. For details, see, in reverse alphabetical order: Aia [tänav], Aia [tee] and Aia [käik].
* Given the complications of displaying ‘exotic’ scripts online, here Glagolitic, see, and ideally buy, A Rambling Dictionary of Tallinn Street Names (all author earnings from the book go to the Tallinna Lastehaigla Toetusfond (Tallinn Children’s Hospital Foundation, set up to aid purchase medical equipment), allowing you to contemplate, with wonder I hope, one of humanity's multiple endeavours at reproducing the infinite subtleties of speech in a pathetic 20-odd alphabet.
Inseneri (Insener)
Engineer. Named after the Insenerimaja (Engineers’ House), at the end of the street (Uus 10).
Kanuti (Kanut)
Confusion in the Danish House of Knut (Canute). Canute’s Guild, Kanuti Gild, was a Hanseatic merchant guild involving the more complex crafts: mainly goldsmiths, watchmakers, milliners, but also bakers, shoemakers and painters. First recorded 1326, probably founded 13th C, disbanded 1920. Name comes from Knut Lavard (1090ish-1131), Duke of Schleswig and sovereign over the Western Wends, canonised 1171, feast day January 7, the day on which he was assassinated. Knut Lavard was nephew of Knut IV (1043ish-1086), aka Canute the Saint / the Holy, great-nephew of Knut the Great (985ish-1035). Knut IV’s official Catholic feast-day is January 19, but celebrated on January 13 in Estonia, Sweden and Finland, apparently for his decreeing that Christmas last 20 days. Since both were saints, both were nephews of a King Knut, both had feast days in January, confusion seems inevitable. Some of the more fervent Estonians still celebrate Canute’s day, Nuudipäev, (any date ranging from January 13 to January 7) by drinking. Both street and park/garden, see Kanuti Aed.