Etymology

Historically Pissen (attested from 1502 as weg, den von Stanszen vnnd Piszen herkombt) – Latvian Miķeļbāka, Pizesciems (Pize) or officially Miķeļtornis, Livonian Pizā. This toponym could be of Baltic origin: compare Old Prussian Pysekaym (1384), Pisdekaym (1388), Piselauk (1419), and parallels can be found in Lithuanian toponymy as well, e.g. Pisa (river); compare also Latvian Pisiņš (lake), Pisupīte, etc. The Lithuanian linguist A. Vanagas connects all these toponyms with Latvian pisa ‎(“a bog, marsh, swamp without a bottom where only small birches and firs grow”), pise ‎(“very thick forest”). An Old Prussian personal name Pisz (1261) should be noted too.^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pizɑː/