Where does “širšė” come from?
širšė (Lithuanian) comes from Lithuanian širšuo, from Proto-Balto-Slavic śiršō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂s-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂- — head, top; horn.
širšė (Lithuanian): hornet
Ancestry of “širšė”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Lithuanian | širšuo | — |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | śiršō | hornet |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱerh₂s- | head; hornet |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱerh₂- | head, top; horn |