lasis
Latgalian
Alternative forms
- lases (dialectal)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈlasʲisʲ]
- Hyphenation: la‧sis
Latvian
Etymology
Traditionally related to Latvian lāse (“drop (of liquid)”) (dialectally attested as lase, lasis), perhaps because of the drop-like little spots on a salmon's scales, from Proto-Indo-European *laḱ- (“to sprinkle, to spatter”).
Another suggestion is that this term comes from Proto-Indo-European *lek- (“to jump, to leap”), referring to the mating habits of salmons, swimming and leaping upstream; but the final k leaves the s in the Baltic and Slavic forms unexplained. One would have to assume parallel forms *lek-, *leḱ- for this stem.
Cognates include Lithuanian lãšis, lašiša, Old Prussian lalasso (probably a misspelled lasasso), Russian лосо́сь (losósʹ), Czech losos, Polish łosoś, Proto-Germanic *lahsaz (Old High German lahs, German Lachs, Swedish lax, English lax, lox), Tocharian B laksi (“fish”), Ossetian лӕсӕг (læsæg, “salmon”).[1]
Noun
lasis m (2nd declension)
- salmon (especially Salmo salar)
- zvejot lašus ― to fish salmon
- svaigs lasis ― fresh salmon
- žāvēts lasis ― dried salmon
- lašu/laša krāsa ― salmon color
Declension
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “lasis”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN