# lietus
## Latvian
### Etymology

From the same stem as Latvian liet (“to pour”) and līt (“to flow, to stream, to rain”) (q.v.), made into a masculine third declension noun (with ending -us); from Proto-Balto-Slavic *l(e/o)ʔi-, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ley- (“to flow, pour, stream; to glide, slip, be slippery”). Cognates include Lithuanian lietùs (“rain”), lytùs, li̇́eti (“to pour”), lai̇̃vas (“ship”), and likely the names of Latvia and Lithuania. More distantly related are Old Church Slavonic лити (liti, “to pour”) (< Proto-Slavic *lìti), Albanian lisë (“I pour”), Proto-Germanic *līþu (“cider ~ liquor”), Proto-Celtic *liyeti (“to flow”), Ancient Greek ἄλεισον (áleison, “wine container”), and perhaps λάταξ (látax, “drop”), Old Irish laith (“liquid; ale, liquor”) (< Proto-Celtic *latis), Latin litus (“shore, beach”), and various descendants of Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- (“to wash”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [liɛ̂tus]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

lietus m (3rd declension)
* rain, shower; rainwater
    pavasara lietus ― spring rain, shower
    garie rudens lietus ― long autumn rain
    spēcīgs lietus ― heavy rain
    īslaicīgs lietus ― short-term rain
    Lietus bungo pa jumtu. ― The rain is drumming on the roof.
    Lietus līst. ― It (lit. rain) is raining.
    Lietus līņā, smidzina. ― It (lit. rain) is drizzling.
    lietus ūdens ― rainwater
    lietus lāses ― raindrops
    Lietus pil no jumta. ― The rain(water) is dripping from the roof.
    lietus mākoņi ― rain clouds
    lietus mētelis, lietusmētelis ― rain coat
    Caur pelēcīgo lietus plīvuru parādās kravas automobilis. ― Through the grayish veil of rain a truck (lit. cargo automobile) appeared.
    Viņi bija lietū ieecējuši auzas. ― They had begun to harrow the oats in the rain (= while it was raining).
* (in the plural) rains, rainy period
    Pēc lielajiem lietiem sākās labības pļauja. ― After the big rains began the cereal harvest.
* (figuratively) rain (a rain-like group of small moving objects; a large number of similar things)
    zvaigžņu lietus ― star rain (= meteor shower)
    dzirksteļu lietus ― spark rain (= many sparks)
    ložu lietus ― bullet rain (e.g., from a machine gun)
    Priedēs iespurdz vējš, un uz ceļa nolīst ziedputekšņu lietus. ― The wind began to flutter in the pine trees, and a rain of pollen fell (lit. rained) on the road.

#### Synonyms

* (of "rainy period"): lietavas

#### Derived terms

* lietains
* lietavas
* lietussargs

#### Related terms

* līt, liet

#### See also

* auka
* gāze
* vētra

### References

* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “lietus”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
* ↑ Derksen, Rick (2015) Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “latvietis”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “lietuvieši”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN

## Lithuanian
### Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *leitus, from Proto-Indo-European *ley-, *lī- (“to pour, to flow, to drip”); see Latvian lietus for cognates.

### Pronunciation 1

* IPA: [ljɛˈtʊs]

#### Noun

lietùs m (plural li̇́etūs) stress pattern 3
* rain

##### Derived terms

* lietaus lašas

##### Related terms

* lietingas
* lietpaltis
* lietuvis
* liūtis

### Pronunciation 2

* IPA: [ˈlijɛtʊs]

#### Noun

líetus m pl
* accusative plural of lietus

### References

* ↑ Derksen, Rick (2015) “lietus”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 285
* ↑ “lietùs” in Hock et al., Altlitauisches etymologisches Wörterbuch 2.0 (online, 2020–); p. 672 in ALEW 1.1 (online, 2019).
* ↑ “lietus”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012

### Further reading

* “lietus”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2025
* “lietus”, in Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of contemporary Lithuanian], ekalba.lt, 1954–2025