[æzæɾs]
CilmeFrom Proto-Balto-Slavic *éźera (“lake”), from Proto-Indo-European *eǵʰerom (“lake”), from the stem *eǵʰ- (“border”) (whence also Latvian eža, q.v.). The meaning change, from “border” to “lake,” is probably motivated by the fact that lakes were often used as markers of the border between separate regions.
Cognates include Lithuanian ẽžeras, Old Prussian assaran ([azaran]), Sudovian ziro (< *eziro < *ezero), Proto-Slavic *ezero (Old Church Slavonic ѥзеро (jezero), Russian, Ukrainian о́зеро (ózero), Belarusian во́зера (vózjera), Bulgarian е́зеро (ézero), Czech jezero, Polish jezioro.
- declension-1, masculinelake (large natural body of freshwater surrounded by land)
“Sīvera ezers” — lake Sīvers
“jūras piekrastes ezers” — coastal lake
“ieapaļš, izstiepts ezers” — roundish, stretched lake
Formasezers(nominative, singular) · ezeri(nominative, plural) · ezera(genitive, singular) · ezeru(genitive, plural) · ezeram(dative, singular) · ezeriem(dative, plural) · ezeru(accusative, singular) · ezerus(accusative, plural) · ezeru(instrumental, singular) · ezeriem(instrumental, plural) · ezerā(locative, singular) · ezeros(locative, plural) · ezers(singular, vocative) · ezeri(plural, vocative)