Albanian edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Albanian *m(e)lítā, from Proto-Indo-European *mélit (honey). Cognate to Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, bee).[1] In view of the -bl- cluster one might also consider as alternative Proto-Indo-European *mlīto (sweet), in Gothic bleiþs (kind-hearted, merciful), Old High German blīdi (merry, glad), Hittite [Term?] (/⁠miliddu⁠/, sweet). Alternatively from *mbletë, a borrowing from Greco-Latin *melettum, from Ancient Greek μέλιττα (mélitta),[2] but this is unlikely.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

bletë f (plural bletë, definite bleta, definite plural bletët)

  1. bee (insect)
  2. swarm (of bees)
  3. hive

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ Demiraj, B. (1997) Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz [Albanian Etymologies: []] (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 7)‎[1] (in German), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, page 105
  2. ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “bletë”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 29