piens
Ladin
Latvian
Etymology
From Proto-Baltic *pā́ˀinas, from Proto-Indo-European *peynos, *poyHnos, from the stem *peyh₂- (“to be fat”) (perhaps from earlier “to swell”). The meaning evolved from “fat, swollen” to “(breasts) full of milk” and finally “milk”. There was an old Proto-Baltic verb *pīti (“to give milk”), from which comes dialectal Lithuanian pýti (“to give milk”); the corresponding Latvian term disappeared, perhaps because of homophony with pīt (“to braid, to weave”). Cognates include Lithuanian píenas (“milk”), Sanskrit पयते (páyate, “to swell, to be too full”), पयस् (páyas, “fluid, water, milk, rain”), Avestan 𐬞𐬌𐬞𐬌𐬌𐬏𐬱𐬌- (pipiiūši-, “having milk in her breasts”), Persian پینو (pinu, “buttermilk”), Middle Persian pēm (“milk”), Latin opīmus (“fat, plump; fruitful”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [pīɛ̄ns]
Noun
piens m (1st declension)
- milk (nourishing liquid secreted by mammal females)
- mātes piens, krūts piens ― mother's milk, breast milk
- piena dziedzeri ― mammary (lit. milk) glands
- govs, kazas, ķēves piens ― cow's, goat's, horse's milk
- piena ēdieni, produkti ― dairy foods, products
- piena kokteilis ― milk shake (lit. milk cocktail)
- piena saldējums ― ice-cream (lit. frozen milk)
- kafija ar pienu ― coffee with milk
- pasterizēts piens ― pasteurized milk
- kondensēts piens ― condensed milk
Declension
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “piens”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN