vēdzele

• (dialectal form) vēzele

The origin of this word is unclear. One suggestion links it, because of the burbot's moist, slimy skin, to Old Norse vǫkr, Ancient Greek ὑγρός (hugrós), Latin ūvidus (“moist, wet”), from Proto-Indo-European *wegʷ- (“wet, to water”), with the gʷ changing to g (so as to yield Latvian dz). Another suggestion is that, if zivs (“fish”) is from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-, *gʰew-, *ǵʰēw-, *gʰēw- (see zivs), then metathesis could have created the forms *wēǵʰ-, *wēgʰ-, leading to Proto-Baltic *wēž-, *wēdz-, from which Latin vēdzele, dialectal vēzele. Cognates include Lithuanian vėgėlė̃.^[1]

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vēdzele f (5th declension)

1. burbot (two fish species)

   saldūdens vēdzele ― freshwater burbot (Lota lota)

   jūras vēdzele, jūrasvēdzele ― (four-bearded) rockling (lit. sea burbot; Enchelyopus cimbrius)