leitis

From *leit- (related to Latin lītus (“sea coast, beach”) < *leitos), from Proto-Baltic *lei-, *lie- with an extra -t, from Proto-Indo-European *ley-, *lī- (“to pour, to flow, to drip”). The stem was perhaps originally a reference to people from the "land of the rain" or "land of the rivers." It is also possible that there was an original river or lake name *Leitā, from which *leitā-tyā, *leityā > leiša, from which the nominative leitis could be derived.^[1]

• Audio:

  (file)

leitis m (2nd declension, feminine form: leitiete)

1. a (male) Lithuanian

   strādnieki... kalpi, vai tie būtu vācieši, leiši, krievi, ebreji, mums draugi ― workers... servants, be they Germans, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, are friends to us

2. (genitive plural): Lithuanian, pertaining to Lithuania and its people

   leišu valoda ― the Lithuanian language

   Aspazija pieraksta leišu sakāmvardus un mīklas ― Aspazija recorded Lithuanian proverbs and riddles

The basic, neutral term is lietuvietis. The words leitis and lietuvis are synonyms, but are much less often used, usually poetically, or in historical contexts (referring to ancient Lithuanians).

• lietuvietis
• lietuvis

• Lietuva
• lietuviešu valoda, lietuvju valoda, leišu valoda
• lietuvisks