Where does “brīve” come from?
brīve (Latvian) comes from Latvian brīvs, from Middle Low German vrī, from Old Saxon frī, from Proto-West Germanic frī, from Proto-Germanic frijaz, from Proto-Indo-European priHós, from Proto-Indo-European preyH- — to love, to please.
brīve (Latvian): freedom, liberty
Ancestry of “brīve”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latvian | brīvs | free; loose, comfortable; free, unconstrained,... |
| 2 | Middle Low German | vrī | — |
| 3 | Old Saxon | frī | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | frī | free |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | frijaz | free |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | priHós | dear, beloved; happy, free |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | preyH- | to love, to please |