sils

Latvian

 sils on Latvian Wikipedia

Etymology

From an earlier *silas, from Proto-Baltic *šil-, from Proto-Indo-European *sḱl̥-, the zero grade of *skel-, *sḱel-, perhaps from *kel-, *ḱel- (“to dry up”) (whence also Latvian kalst “to dry up”) + *s- (an s-mobile), or perhaps by metathesis from *ks-el-, from *ḱes- (< *ḱs-eH-), *ḱsā- (“burned, dried up”) (whence Ancient Greek ξερός (xerós), ξηρός (xērós) “dry” and Sanskrit क्षायति (kṣā́yati) “to burn”). The meaning change was probably “dry, sandy place” > “forest on a dry, sandy place” > “pinewood, pine forest.” Cognates include Lithuanian šìlas, Ancient Greek σκέλλω (skéllō, “to dry up”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

sils m (1st declension)

1. pine forest, pinewood (forest or grove composed of conifers growing in nutrient-poor sandy soil)

   ķērpju sils ― lichen forest (i.e., where lichen grows)

   piejūras sils ― coastal, seaside pine forest

   paugurains sils ― hilly forest

Declension

Derived terms

• sila virsis, sila ziedi
• sila ķirzaka
• sila strazds
• silu mēnesis

References

Swedish

Noun

sils

1. indefinite genitive singular of sil

Volapük

Noun

sils

1. nominative plural of sil