Where does “strēlnieks” come from?

strēlnieks (Latvian) comes from Latvian strēle, from Proto-Indo-European strēl-, from Proto-Indo-European ster- — sterile, infertile.

strēlnieks (Latvian): rifleman, infantryman, infantry soldier; archer

Definitions

  1. rifleman, infantryman, infantry soldier; archer

Ancestry of “strēlnieks”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latvianstrēlearrow, dart; arrow; something narrow and...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanstrēl-arrow
3Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European strēl- →Every word from Latvian strēle →