Etymology

(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

From *vëllaz (in plural (Gheg) vëllazën), from *waládža, from Proto-Albanian *(a)waládja, metathesis of *awádlja, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂euh₂ó-dʰli̯os ‎(“mother's brother”). Same sense development as motër ‎(“sister”), from *méh₂treh₂ ‎(“mother's sister”). Alternatively from Proto-Albanian *h1leudh-, Possibly < *uai-láu(d) (< *suoi- h1loudhi-), an old compound with the reflexive pronoun ve(të) ‘own, self’. The plural stem *vəɫaz- (> vëllezër / vëllazën) can be derived phonetically from *laudźi-.^[1]. Possibly related to Phrygian vela 'family, relatives' and perhaps Finnish veli, Estonian veli ‎(“brother”) (see Proto-Finnic *velji).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vəˈɫa]