Lietuva

See also: Lietuvą and Lietuvā

Latvian

Lietuva (Eiropā)

Lietuvas karogs

Etymology

From the same stem as leitis (“Lithuanian”) (q.v.): *leit-, from which also liet (“to pour”), lietus (“rain”)) (q.v.). First mentioned in Annals of Quedlinburg as (Litua, from an earlier *Lētuvā, apparently from *leit- with a suffix (perhaps +‎ -uve). Cognates include Lithuanian Lietuvà. More information at Name of Lithuania.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈliɛtuva/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Lietuva f (4th declension)

1. Lithuania (a country in northeastern Europe; official name: Lietuvas Republika)

   Lietuvas karogs ― the flag of Lithuania

   Lietuvas teritorija ― the territory of Lithuania

   Lietuva ir valsts Baltijas jūras austrumu krastā ― Lithuania is a country on the eastern coast of the Baltic sea

Declension

Declension of Lietuva (4th declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	Lietuva	—
genitive	Lietuvas	—
dative	Lietuvai	—
accusative	Lietuvu	—
instrumental	Lietuvu	—
locative	Lietuvā	—
vocative	Lietuva	—

Related terms

• leitis, leitiete
• lietuvietis, lietuviete
• lietuvis, lietuve
• lietuvisks
• lietuviešu valoda, leišu valoda

See also

countries in Europe: Eiropas valstis (appendix)edit

• Albānija
• Andora
• Apvienotā Karaliste
• Armēnija
• Austrija
• Azerbaidžāna
• Baltkrievija
• Beļģija
• Bosnija un Hercegovina
• Bulgārija
• Čehija
• Dānija
• Francija
• Grieķija
• Gruzija
• Horvātija
• Igaunija
• Islande ~ Īslande
• Itālija
• Īrija
• Kazahstāna
• Kipra
• Kosova
• Krievija
• Latvija
• Lietuva
• Lihtenšteina
• Luksemburga
• Malta
• Melnkalne
• Moldova
• Monako
• Nīderlande
• Norvēģija
• Polija
• Portugāle
• Rumānija
• Sanmarīno
• Serbija
• Slovākija
• Slovēnija
• Somija
• Spānija
• Šveice
• Turcija
• Ukraina
• Ungārija
• Vatikāns
• Vācija
• Ziemeļmaķedonija
• Zviedrija

Lithuanian

Etymology

From an earlier *Lētuvā, possibly from an earlier *Lietā or *Lētā with the suffix +‎ -uva, denoting a region (see Sūduva, *Jotuva (“region of the Yotvingians”)).

Further etymology uncertain and debated, with several proposed etymologies:

• Most commonly, believed to have originated from the rivulet Lietauka from Old Lithuanian *Lietavà. Its etymology is unclear, but the root liet- likely comes from Proto-Balto-Slavic *l(e/o)ʔi-, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ley- (“to flow, pour, stream; to glide, slip, be slippery”), and is cognate with lietus (“rain”), lieti (“to pour”). It is an 11-kilometer-long rivulet in central Lithuania. According to Kazimieras Kuzavinis, this rivulet may have given its name to the surrounding territory, which includes nearby Kernavė, a medieval capital of Lithuania, and gradually expanded to become a name for the medieval Lithuanian state.
• According to Jan Otrębski, from an old name of the Neman river, *Leitā, attested in Alytus, from Old Lithuanian *Leitā (“city on the Leita river”).
• According to Simas Karaliūnas, from Old Lithuanian *lietā (“army, armed force”), from lieti (“to cast metal”), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ley- (“to flow, pour”).
• According to Artūras Dubonis, from leitis (“member of a social group in service of the monarch in Medieval Lithuania”).

Popular etymologies connect it with lietus (“rain”).

Compare Samogitian Lietova.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lʲiətʊˈvɐ/

Proper noun

Lietuvà f (uncountable, relational adjective lietùviškas, demonym lietùvis, female demonym lietùvė) stress pattern 3a

1. Lithuania (a country in northeastern Europe; official name: Lietuvõs Respùblika)

Declension

Declension of Lietuvà

nominative	Lietuvà
genitive	Lietuvõs
dative	Li̇́etuvai
accusative	Li̇́etuvą
instrumental	Li̇́etuva
locative	Lietuvojè
vocative	Li̇́etuva

Derived terms

nouns

• Didžióji Lietuvà
• lietùvininkas
• lietuviškùmas (“state of being Lithuanian”)
• lietuvýbė
• LR
• Mažóji Lietuvà

Related terms

adjective

• lietuviakal̃bis

verbs

• lietuvė́ti
• lietùvinti
• sulietuvė́ti
• sulietùvinti

nouns

• di̇̀dlietuvis
• jaunalietvùis
• lietuváitis
• lietuviakal̃bis
• mãžlietuvis
• naujãlietuvis

Descendants

• → Georgian: ლიეტუვა (lieṭuva)

See also

• lituãnika
• lituani̇̀stas
• lituani̇̀stika
• lituani̇̀stinis
• lituani̇̀zmas

countries in Europe: Euròpos valstýbės (appendix)edit

• Ai̇̃rija
• Albãnija
• Andorà
• Armė́nija
• Áustrija
• Azerbaidžãnas
• Baltarùsija, Gùdija
• Bel̃gija
• Bòsnija ir̃ Hercegovinà
• Bulgãrija
• Čèkija
• Dãnija
• Èstija
• Grai̇̃kija
• Islándija
• Ispãnija
• Itãlija
• Jungti̇̀nė Karalỹstė
• Juodkalnijà
• Kazachstãnas
• Ki̇̀pras
• Kòsovas
• Kroãtija
• Lãtvija
• Lénkija
• Li̇̀chtenšteinas
• Lietuvà
• Liùksemburgas
• Málta
• Moldovà, Moldãvija
• Mònakas
• Nýderlandai, Olándija
• Norvègija
• Portugãlija
• Prancūzijà
• Rumùnija
• Rùsija
• Sakartvèlas, Grùzija
• San Mari̇̀nas
• Ser̃bija
• Slovãkija
• Slovė́nija
• Súomija
• Šiáurės Makedònija
• Švèdija
• Šveicãrija
• Tur̃kija
• Ukrainà
• Vatikãnas
• Veñgrija
• Vokietijà

Further reading

• “Lietuvos vardas (Name of Lithuania)” in Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia)
• Kuzavinis K., Lietuvos vardo kilmė // Lietuvos TSR aukštųjų mokyklų darbai. Kalbotyra, t. 10 (1964), p. 5−18, t. 17 (1967), p. 135−137.
• Dubonis, Artūras (1998). Lietuvos didžiojo kunigaikščio leičiai: iš Lietuvos ankstyvųjų valstybinių struktūrų praeities (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos instituto leidykla. p. 15.

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈlie̯tuːva/

Proper noun

Lietuva

1. Lithuania (a country in northeastern Europe)

Declension

Even a-stem, no gradation
Nominative	Lietuva
Genitive	Lietuva
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	Lietuva	—
Accusative	Lietuva	—
Genitive	Lietuva	—
Illative	Lietuvii	—
Locative	Lietuvas	—
Comitative	Lietuvain	—
Essive	Lietuvan
Possessive forms Singular Dual Plural 1st person Lietuvan Lietuvame Lietuvamet 2nd person Lietuvat Lietuvade Lietuvadet 3rd person Lietuvas Lietuvaska Lietuvaset

Further reading

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[2], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland