pilsonis

A 19th-century neologism, coined by Atis Kronvalds, who claimed to have derived it from pilst (“to be(come) full, complete”) +‎ -onis, following the example of mirt (“to die”), mironis (“corpse”). K. Mīlenbahs criticized it as an incorrect derivation from pils (“castle”) (compare German Bürger (“citizien”), from Burg (“castle, fortress”)). Kronvalds had indeed derived and proposed terms derived from pils for “citizen” (pilietis, pilnietis, which were not successful), but not pilsonis.^[1]

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pilsonis m (2nd declension, feminine form: pilsone)

1. (male) citizen (a legal member of a state)

   Latvijas Republikas pilsonis ― citizen of the Latvian Republic

   pilsoņu tiesības ― civil (lit. citizens') rights

   pilsoņu brīvības ― civil (lit. citizens') liberties

   ārvalsts pilsonis ― foreign citizen

   goda pilsonis ― honorary citizen

   pilsoņu karš ― civil (lit. citizens') war

• pilsonība
• pilsonisks

• → Latgalian: piļsūņs