žibėti

Lithuanian

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *źibḗˀtei, cognate with Latvian zibēt (“to shine”), and further related to Latvian zibt (“to sparkle”), Latvian zibens (“lightning”). Further origin outside of Baltic unclear;^[1] the root hypothetically traces back to a Proto-Indo-European *ǵ⁽ʰ⁾e(y)b⁽ʰ⁾-, with no certain non-Baltic cognates. Fraenkel suggests cognacy with Proto-Germanic *kaibaz (“fierce, lively”);^[2] note also potential formal and semantic similarities with Persian (zibidan, “to adorn, embellish”).

By surface analysis, from the zero-grade of žiẽbti (“to light (a match, lamp, etc.); to strike, rush; to wear clothes”).^[3]

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žibė́ti (third-person present tense žìba, third-person past tense žibė́jo)^[4]

^ “žibėti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
^ Fraenkel, Ernst (1955, 1962–1965) “žibė́ti”, in Litauisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume II, Heidelberg-Göttingen: Carl Winter and Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, page 1304
^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2007) “žiẽbti”, in Słownik etymologiczny je̜zyka litewskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Vilnius: Uniwersytet Wileński, pages 780-1
^ “žibėti”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2024