varavīksne

Etymology
The various attested forms result from reduplication: <,  < , where vavar- is a reduplicated form of , from  (whence also 🇨🇬 “to spin”, q.v.). The original meaning was probably “bending,” “arch.” The second part of the word was apparently not just a suffix, but an independent word, perhaps related to ; note that is dialectally attested by itself with the meaning of “rainbow.” The rich dialectal variation in this word, as well as the several other dialectal terms for “rainbow” (e.g.,, ), probably result, on the one hand, from dialectal mixing, and, on the other hand, from taboo restrictions (ancient Latvians apparently considered the rainbow the result of magical forces that deserved respect). Cognates include 🇨🇬, dialectal.

Noun

 * 1) rainbow multicolored arch in the sky