laiva

Etymology

Cognates include Lithuanian laĩvas, dialectal laĩvė, archaic laĩva. The relationship by borrowing to Proto-Finnic *laiva (Finnish laiva “ship; nave”, Estonian laev, Livonian lōja) is also undisputed, leaving the question of which family had the word first. It is now identified as a borrowing from Proto-Germanic *flawją (cf. Old Norse fley “boat,” “raft”) into Finnic and thence Baltic, showing the Finnic sound law *vj > jv established by Koivulehto (1970).^[1] Earlier, a Baltic inherited origin had been sought. Karulis took the word to be perhaps originally used by Curonian fishermen and later spread to all the Eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, and offered the internal etymology Proto-Baltic *leiw-, *laiw-, from Proto-Indo-European *ley- with an extra -w, from *el-ey, from *Heh₃l- (“to bend, to turn”); this theory would make the original meaning “bent, concave (object).”^[2]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lāīva]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

laiva f (4th declension)

1. boat (small vehicle for transporting people, goods, etc. on water)

   buru laiva ― sailboat

   airu laiva ― rowboat

   zvejas laiva ― fishing boat

   glābšanas laiva ― rescue boat, lifeboat

   sacīkšu laiva ― racing boat

   laivu stacija ― boathouse

   braukt ar laivu ― to go by boat, to ride a boat

   vizināties, braukt ar laivu pa ezeru ― to go for a boat ride on the lake

   nolicis airi, noliecos pār laivas malu un sāku raut ūdens augus ― letting go of the oar, I leaned over the boat edge and began to pluck the aquatic plants

References