From an earlier *varna (where the intonation later caused lengthening: ar̄ > āːr), from Proto-Baltic *war- with an extra -nā, from Proto-Indo-European *war-, *wer- (“to burn; to be black”). A parallel masculine counterpart must have existed, from Proto-Baltic *war-no-, *war-nyo-; cf. Lithuanian var̃nas, Old Prussian warnis, Russian во́рон (vóron) (< Proto-Slavic *vronъ). In Latvian, a masculine form vārnis is attested only in folk tales. Cognates include Lithuanian várna, Old Prussian warne, Proto-Slavic *vorna (Old Church Slavonic врана (vrana), Russian, Ukrainian воро́на (voróna), Belarusian варо́на (varóna), Bulgarian вра́на (vrána), Czech vrána, Polish wrona), Tocharian B wrauña.