trīs (Latvian)
Where does "trīs" come from?
The Latvian word "trīs" traces its roots back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European *tréyes. It evolved through the Proto-Balto-Slavic *tríjes stage before settling into its modern form. This linguistic journey reflects a deep history shared with other Baltic languages, like Lithuanian, as they preserved this foundational term for the number three.
Full etymology tree
- trīs (Latvian), 'three (the cipher, the cardinal number three)'
- inherited *tríjes (Proto-Balto-Slavic), 'three'
- inherited *tréyes (Proto-Indo-European), 'three'
- inherited *tríjes (Proto-Balto-Slavic), 'three'
Ancestors
- *tríjes (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- *tréyes (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris