bērzs

• (dialectal forms) bērza, bērze

From Proto-Baltic *berž-, perhaps Proto-Balto-Slavic *berźas, *berźā[1] (with the long ē caused by the level intonation: er̄ > ēːr), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵs,[2] a nominalized adjectival form, originally meaning “bright; white” (compare Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌷𐍄 (bairht, “light, bright”), English bright), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“bright, light brown”). Dialectal bērze is closer to Old Prussian, while dialectal bērza is closer to Slavic. Cognates include Lithuanian béržas, Old Prussian berse, Proto-Slavic *berza (Old Church Slavonic брѣза (brěza), Russian берёза (berjóza), Belarusian бяро́за (bjaróza), Ukrainian береза (beréza), Bulgarian бреза (brezá), Czech bříza, Polish brzoza), Old English beorc, Old High German birka, English birch, German Birke, Sanskrit भूर्जः (bhūrjáḥ), Latin frāxinus (“ash tree”) (< *bherg-s-enos). [3]

• IPA^(key): [bǣːrs]

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bērzs m (1st declension)

1. birch tree (gen. Betula)

   bērza lapa, malka, tāss ― birch leaf, wood, bark

   purva bērzs ― bog birch

   āra bērzs ― silver birch, European white birch

   nocirst bērzu ― to cut down a birch tree

   bērzu sula ― birch juice

   bērzu slota ― birch broom

   sasiet bērza zarus slotā ― to tie birch branches into a broom

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