Baltic
/ˈbɔːl.tɪk/noun
Relating to the Baltic Sea or the countries bordering it.
Did you know?The word Baltic is first recorded in medieval Latin as a name for the sea, probably ultimately connected to a Germanic root meaning “white” or “bright,” not to any occult or mythic “bal” figure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhel-
“to shine, gleam, or be bright”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*balþaz
“bright, white”
Early Medieval Latin
Latin
Balticus
“of the Baltic Sea”
12th Century
Latin
mare Balticum
“the Baltic Sea”
14th Century
English
Baltic
“relating to the Baltic Sea”