leitis
See also: leitís
Latvian
Etymology
From *leit- (related to Latin lītus (“sea coast, beach”) < *leitos), from Proto-Baltic *lei-, *lie- with an extra -t, from Proto-Indo-European *ley-, *lī- (“to pour, to flow, to drip”). The stem was perhaps originally a reference to people from the "land of the rain" or "land of the rivers." It is also possible that there was an original river or lake name *Leitā, from which *leitā-tyā, *leityā > leiša, from which the nominative leitis could be derived.[1]
Pronunciation
| (file) |
Noun
leitis m (2nd declension, feminine form: leitiete)
- a (male) Lithuanian
- strādnieki... kalpi, vai tie būtu vācieši, leiši, krievi, ebreji, mums draugi ― workers... servants, be they Germans, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, are friends to us
- (genitive plural): Lithuanian, pertaining to Lithuania and its people
- leišu valoda ― the Lithuanian language
- Aspazija pieraksta leišu sakāmvardus un mīklas ― Aspazija recorded Lithuanian proverbs and riddles
Usage notes
The basic, neutral term is lietuvietis. The words leitis and lietuvis are synonyms, but are much less often used, usually poetically, or in historical contexts (referring to ancient Lithuanians).
Declension
Declension of leitis (2nd declension)
| singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative (nominatīvs) | leitis | leiši |
| accusative (akuzatīvs) | leiti | leišus |
| genitive (ģenitīvs) | leiša | leišu |
| dative (datīvs) | leitim | leišiem |
| instrumental (instrumentālis) | leiti | leišiem |
| locative (lokatīvs) | leitī | leišos |
| vocative (vokatīvs) | leiti | leiši |
Synonyms
- lietuvietis
- lietuvis
Related terms
- Lietuva
- lietuviešu valoda, lietuvju valoda, leišu valoda
- lietuvisks
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “lietuvieši”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN