Where does “Lielbritānija” come from?

Lielbritānija (Latvian) comes from Latvian liels, from Proto-Indo-European lei-, from Proto-Indo-European ēl- — awl, prong.

Lielbritānija (Latvian): the British Isles

Definitions

  1. the British Isles

Ancestry of “Lielbritānija”, step by step

Lielbritānija traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latvian liels

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latvianlielsbig, large; intense, loud; high, great, large
2Proto-Indo-Europeanlei-to flow, pour; to bend; to pour, to flow, to drip
3Proto-Indo-Europeanēl-awl, prong

via Latvian Britānija

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatvianBritānijaBritain, Brittany
2RussianБрита́ния—
3LatinBritania—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ēl- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lei- →Every word from Latvian liels →