piens

piens m pl

1. plural of pien

From Proto-Baltic *pienas, from Proto-Indo-European *peynos, *poyHnos, from the stem *pey-, *poyH-, *pī- (“to be fat”) (perhaps from earlier “to swell”). The meaning evolved from “fat, swollen” to “(breasts) full of milk” and finally “milk.” There was an old Proto-Baltic verb *pīti (“to give milk”), from which comes dialectal Lithuanian pýti (“to give milk”); the corresponding Latvian term disappeared, perhaps because of homophony with pīt (“to braid, to weave”). Cognates include Lithuanian píenas (“milk”), Sanskrit पयते (páyate, “to swell, to be too full”), पयस् (páyas, “fluid, water, milk, rain”), Avestan 𐬞𐬌𐬞𐬌𐬌𐬏𐬱𐬌‎ (pipyūši-, “having milk in her breasts”), Persian پینو‎ (pīnū, “buttermilk”), Middle Persian pēm (“milk”), Estonian piim (“milk”), Finnish piimä (“buttermilk”), Latin opīmus (“fat, plump; fruitful”). [1]

• IPA^(key): [pīɛ̄ns]

piens m (1st declension)

1. milk (nourishing liquid secreted by mammal females)

   mātes piens, krūts piens ― mother's milk, breast milk

   piena dziedzeri ― mammary (lit. milk) glands

   govs, kazas, ķēves piens ― cow's, goat's, horse's milk

   piena ēdieni, produkti ― dairy foods, products

   piena kokteilis ― milk shake (lit. milk cocktail)

   piena saldējums ― ice-cream (lit. frozen milk)

   kafija ar pienu ― coffee with milk

   pasterizēts piens ― pasteurized milk

   kondensēts piens ― condensed milk