Clupea harengus membras: about the etymology of a certain fish name in Estonian, Latvian, and Livonian

Abstract

In this article, the names of Clupea harengus membras will be considered in Estonian, (Salaca) Livonian and Latvian (respectively räim, reńǵand reņģe ‘Baltic herring’). It will be shown that the source of all of these words is the Estonian-Swedish strämg (sträηg), or its preceding word shape *sträimg. The Latvian reņģe is borrowed from Estonian-Swedish through Salaca Livonian. Paul Ariste proposed an adequate etymology for the Estonian räim as early as 1933