Albanian edit

Etymology edit

From earlier *ble, cognate to Lithuanian blènst (to see badly; to look) and other Baltic cognates[1] (compare Latvian blendu (have poor eye-sight, to be poor-sighted)). The intermediate semantic development could have been 'to buy off, corrupt, cheat'. Orel considers it a borrowing, from Vulgar Latin ablevāre (to lift up, relieve (from)).[2]

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

blej (aorist bleva, participle blerë) (Standard, Tosk)
blej (aorist bleva, participle blenë) (Gheg)

  1. to purchase; to cheat; to barter

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ Çabej, E. 1976a. Studime Gjuhësore I, Studime Etimologjike në Fushë të Shqipes, A-O. Prishtinë: Rilindja, p.71
  2. ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998), “blej”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden; Boston; Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 29