From Proto-Balto-Slavic , ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwes- (“to breathe; breath, spirit, soul”).
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.
dvēsele f (5th declension)
| singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative (nominatīvs) | dvēsele | dvēseles |
| accusative (akuzatīvs) | dvēseli | dvēseles |
| genitive (ģenitīvs) | dvēseles | dvēseļu |
| dative (datīvs) | dvēselei | dvēselēm |
| instrumental (instrumentālis) | dvēseli | dvēselēm |
| locative (lokatīvs) | dvēselē | dvēselēs |
| vocative (vokatīvs) | dvēsele | dvēseles |