Where does “Ziemsvētki” come from?
Ziemsvētki (Latvian) comes from Latvian svētki, from Latvian svēts, from Proto-Balto-Slavic śwentas, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwen- — holy, sacred.
Ancestry of “Ziemsvētki”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latvian | svētki | holiday, feast; festival |
| 2 | Latvian | svēts | holy, sacred |
| 3 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | śwentas | holy, sacred |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwen- | holy, sacred |