baltë

See also: balte

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *baltā (“marsh”), hypothetically from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰolHto- (“marsh”), originally “the white one”, a derivative of *bʰel- (“shining, white”). Cognate with Proto-Slavic *bolto (“swamp”), Lithuanian báltas (“white, shining”). Often considered an Illyrian substrate word together with Latin blattea. It could also turn out to be a Mediterranean substrate word, compare Italian palta (“swamp”).

The Balkan words Romanian baltă (“mud, swamp”) and Greek βάλτος (váltos, “swamp”) may, in fact, be borrowed from Albanian. However, conversely, it is also possible that the Albanian, Romanian and Greek words for “mud, swamp, marsh” are all early borrowings from Slavic. In fact, the Italian word, whose origin is obscure, may go back to the same ultimate source.

Noun

baltë f (plural balta/baltëra, definite balta, definite plural balta/baltërat)

1. mud, sludge

   Synonyms: gjol, qyl, llucë, lloç

Declension

With -a:

Declension of baltë

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	baltë	balta	balta	baltat
accusative		baltën
dative	balte	baltës	baltave	baltave
ablative			baltash

With -ëra:

Declension of baltë

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	baltë	balta	baltëra	baltërat
accusative		baltën
dative	balte	baltës	baltërave	baltërave
ablative			baltërash

Derived terms

• baltishte

Related terms

• balë

Further reading

• “baltë”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006
• FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎^[1], 1980