baltë

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.^[1] 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.

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

1. mud, sludge

   Synonyms: gjol, qyl, llucë, lloç

With -a:

With -ëra:

• baltishte

• balë

• “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