dvēsele

See also: dvēselē

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic [Term?], ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwes- (“to breathe; breath, spirit, soul”) whence Latvian dvest (“to breathe”).

Cognate with Lithuanian dvėselė (“soul; (dialectal) strength”) as well as more distantly daũsios and dvėsti; Slavic *dušà and *dȗxъ; Gaulish dusios; and English deer (originally "living thing" < "soul").

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [dvɛ̄ːsɛlɛ]

Noun

dvēsele f (5th declension)

1. (theology) soul

Declension

Declension of dvēsele (5th declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	dvēsele	dvēseles
genitive	dvēseles	dvēseļu
dative	dvēselei	dvēselēm
accusative	dvēseli	dvēseles
instrumental	dvēseli	dvēselēm
locative	dvēselē	dvēselēs
vocative	dvēsele	dvēseles

References

• Derksen, Rick (2015) “dvėselė”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 149