seši (Latvian)
Where does "seši" come from?
The Latvian word "seši" traces its roots back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs, which serves as the ancestor for terms for "six" across many languages. It evolved through the Proto-Balto-Slavic stage, where shifting sound laws and complex historical reconstructions suggest it transitioned through various forms like *šéš or *séš. Over time, these linguistic changes culminated in the modern Latvian "seši," maintaining its original numerical meaning.
Full etymology tree
- seši (Latvian), 'six (the cipher, the cardinal number six)'
- inherited *ses- (Latvian)
- inherited *séš (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- inherited *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European), 'six'
- inherited *séš (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- suffix -i (Latvian)
- inherited *ses- (Latvian)
Ancestors
- *šéš (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris