From Proto-Baltic *breid-, *bried-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreydʰ-, together with a variant *bʰrent-, both from the stem *bʰer (“to swell”) (whence also briest (“to swell”), q.v.). The meaning apparently changed as follows: “swollen, big” > “having a big, well-developed body” > “strong, imposing (animal).” At first this word apparently referred to elks, and only later to deer; the meaning “elk” is still found in folklore. Cognates include Lithuanian bríedis (“elk”), Old Prussian braydis (“elk”) (< *breidis), Sudovian brid (“deer”), Elfdalian brinde (“elk”), Messapic brénthon (“elk, deer”) (< *brénton), Messapic bréndon (“deer”), Albanian bri (“horn, antler”), Thracian toponym Brendike, Swedish brinde (“elk”).
briedis m (2nd declension)
singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
---|---|---|
nominative (nominatīvs) | briedis | brieži |
accusative (akuzatīvs) | briedi | briežus |
genitive (ģenitīvs) | brieža | briežu |
dative (datīvs) | briedim | briežiem |
instrumental (instrumentālis) | briedi | briežiem |
locative (lokatīvs) | briedī | briežos |
vocative (vokatīvs) | briedi | brieži |
briedis m