stirna

Usually derived from Proto-Baltic *šern-, *širn-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“upper part (head, horns, vertex)”), with an extra -n (from which also German Horn, English horn, Latin cornū and also cervus (“deer”)), which yielded Latvian archaic sirna. The presence of a t has given rise to various explanations: st- < *ts-; metathesis (sirna > *srina) with t epenthesis; contamination or influence from some other animal name, e.g., taurs; borrowing from a Slavic language with changes to conform to Baltic pronunciation. More recently, it has been suggested that stirna might come from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“red, pink”) in the reduced grade *sr̥-no-, causing t epenthesis in Baltic. Cognates include Lithuanian stìrna, Old Prussian sirwis, Proto-Slavic *sьrna (Old Church Slavonic сръна (srŭna), Old East Slavic срьна (srĭna), Russian серна (sérna), Ukrainian сарна (sarna), серна (sárna, sérna), Bulgarian сърна (sǎrna, “chamois”), Czech srna, Polish sarna (“roe deer”)).[1]

• IPA^(key): [stīɾna]

stirna f (4th declension)

1. roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

   stirnu āzis, stirnuāzis, stirnāzis ― male roe deer

   stirnu buks ― male roe deer

   stirnu kaza, mātīte ― female roe deer

   stirnu mazulis ― baby roe deer, fawn (syn. stirnēns)

   stirnas pašlaik aizliegts medīt ― roe deer hunting is now prohibited

   meitene viegla kā stirna ― a girl as light as a roe deer

• stirnāzis, stirnuāzis, stirnu āzis
• stirnēns

stìrna f stress pattern 1

1. roe

Cognate with Old English steorn, Ancient Greek στέρνον (stérnon).

stirna m

1. forehead