gintaras

Cognate with Latvian dzintars, from a Baltic root of mysterious origin,^[1] which propagated into various Slavic languages. Many outside comparisons have been proposed, among which include Latin glaesum (“amber”), Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “id”), Hittite [script needed] (hust-), and Sanskrit यम् (yam, “to hold, restrain”) (owing to amber's ability to hold static electricity and thus hold onto various objects).^[2]

A borrowing from a supposed Phoenician [script needed] (jainitar, “sea-resin”) is unlikely, as the Baltic region is known for its amber deposits, and such an abundant resource would generally not be described with a loanword.^[3] The exact details of the relation with Hungarian gyanta (“resin”) are unclear.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡʲɪnˑtɐrɐs/

giñtaras m (plural gintarai̇̃) stress pattern 3b

1. amber (fossil resin)

• → Old Ruthenian: є҆нта́рь (je҆ntárʹ)
  • >? Belarusian: янта́р (jantár)
  • Carpathian Rusyn: янта́рь (jantárʹ)
  • Ukrainian: янта́р (jantár); я́нтра f (jántra) (dialectal)
• → Middle Russian: онта́рь (ontárʹ), оньта́рь (onʹtárʹ), ꙗнта́рь (jantárʹ)
  • Russian: янта́рь (jantárʹ)
    • →? Belarusian: янта́р (jantár)
    • → Czech: jantar
    • → Macedonian: јантар (jantar)
    • → Polish: jantar
    • → Serbo-Croatian:
      • Cyrillic script: јантар
      • Latin script: jantar
    • → Slovak: jantár
    • → Slovene: jantar

• “gintaras”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2025