alksnis

• (dialectal) elksnis

From Proto-Baltic *el(i)sni̯a, *al(i)sni̯a (with an epenthetic k between the l and the s), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élis- with a suffix -nyo, from the root *el-, *ol-, *h₂él- “reddish brown color.” Cognates include Lithuanian al̃ksnis, dialectal el̃ksnis, Old Prussian abskande (= [aliskande] < *al(i)skands < *al(i)skans < *al(i)skṇs < *al(i)ksnas), Proto-Slavic *elьxa < *elisā (Russian ольха́ (olʹxá), Belarusian во́льха (vólʹxa), Ukrainian ві́льха (vílʹxa), Bulgarian елха́ (elhá), Belarusian алёс (aljós, “alder grove, swampy place”)), Proto-Germanic *alizō, *alusō (Gothic *𐌰𐌻𐌹𐍃𐌰 (*alisa), Old High German erila < *elira, German Erle), Latin alnus < *al(i)snos.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [àlksnis]

• Audio (Riga):

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alksnis m (2nd declension)

1. alder (species of tree of the genus Alnus, esp. A. glutinosa or A. incana)

   alkšņa miza ― alder bark

   alkšņu spurdzes ― alder catkin

   alkšņu audze ― alder grove

   cirst alkšņus malkai ― to chop alders into firewood

   Māriņa beidza šūt savu alkšņu mizās krāsoto kleitu, ko ziemā bija noaudusi ― Māriņa finished sewing her dress, the color of alder bark, which she had woven (last) winter

• alksnājs