'suhde' originates from Proto-Finnic (reconstructed), specifically a form like '*suhta', where the root related to 'connection' or 'binding'.

'suhde' changed from Proto-Finnic form '*suhta' (and related Baltic-Finnic forms) and eventually became the modern Finnish word 'suhde' through regular sound and morphological developments in Finnic languages; 'suhteita' is a grammatical inflection (partitive plural) of that modern form.

Initially it referred broadly to a 'binding' or 'connection' in early Finnic speech, and over time it evolved into the modern senses of 'relationship', 'relation', 'connection', or 'ratio'.