It& #39;s #InternationalKissingDay. Not an official day, but a good enough reason for me to create a language thread on the word "kiss" in different languages. So let& #39;s start! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten">

"Kiss" in Slavic languages:

1) from Proto-Slavic *cělovati (to greet; to kiss), from *cělъ (whole), itself from P-I-E *kóylos (whole, healthy), due to the belief that a kiss has the healing power:

Similar to that:

from Proto-Germanic *sōnō, *swōnō (“appeasement; reconciliation; atonement; sacrifice”), from Proto-Indo-European *swā-n- (“healthy; whole; active; vigorous”)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇳🇱" title="Flagge der Niederlande" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Niederlande"> zoen

Dutch also has "kus", listed with other Germanic words for "kiss" in this thread

"Kiss" in other Slavic languages:

2) from Proto-Slavic *ľubiti (to love):

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇸🇮" title="Flagge von Slowenien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Slowenien"> poljub
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇭🇷" title="Flagge von Kroatien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Kroatien">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇷🇸" title="Flagge von Serbien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Serbien">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇧🇦" title="Flagge von Bosnien und Herzegowina" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Bosnien und Herzegowina"> poljubac
(the main meaning of "ljubiti" today is "to kiss" but the meaning "to love" is still used in songs)

3)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇸🇰" title="Flagge der Slowakei" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Slowakei"> bozk
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇲🇰" title="Flagge von Mazedonien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Mazedonien"> бакнеж (baknež)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇨🇿" title="Flagge der Tschechischen Republik" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Tschechischen Republik"> polibek
(I found no etymology for these)

"Kiss" in Germanic languages:

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kussaz, which is probably onomatopeic
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇬🇧" title="Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches"> kiss
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇳🇴" title="Flagge von Norwegen" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Norwegen">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇸🇪" title="Flagge von Schweden" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Schweden"> kyss
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇩🇰" title="Flagge von Dänemark" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Dänemark"> kys
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇳🇱" title="Flagge der Niederlande" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Niederlande"> kus
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇩🇪" title="Flagge von Deutschland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Deutschland"> Kuss
(but also from a Slavic language: Busserl)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇱🇺" title="Flagge von Luxemburg" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Luxemburg"> Kuss
(but also Bees, ultimately from Latin "basio")
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇮🇸" title="Flagge von Island" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Island"> koss

"Kiss" in Romance languages:

1) from Latin basium, which is from P-I-E *bu

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇮🇹" title="Flagge von Italien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Italien"> bacio
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇪🇸" title="Flagge von Spanien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Spanien"> beso
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇫🇷" title="Flagge von Frankreich" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Frankreich"> baiser
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇵🇹" title="Flagge von Portugal" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Portugal"> beijo
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇦🇩" title="Flagge von Andorra" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Andorra"> bes

2) Catalan also has "petó" for "kiss", which comes from "pet", used colloquially to mean "fart". An odd connection

"Kiss" in Romanian:

1) from săruta (to kiss),
itself from Latin salutare (safety; health, welfare, prosperity), present active infinitive of "saluto" (I keep safe; I greet, salute,...)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇷🇴" title="Flagge von Rumänien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Rumänien"> sărut

"Kiss" in Uralic languages:

1) from "suu" (mouth) + "-kko"
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇫🇮" title="Flagge von Finnland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Finnland"> suukko

2) from https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇫🇮" title="Flagge von Finnland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Finnland"> "suudela"/https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇪🇪" title="Flagge von Estland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Estland"> "suudelma" (to kiss) + a suffix deriving nouns from verbs
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇫🇮" title="Flagge von Finnland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Finnland"> suudelma
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇪🇪" title="Flagge von Estland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Estland"> suudlus

3) back-formation from csókol (to kiss)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇭🇺" title="Flagge von Ungarn" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Ungarn"> csók

"Kiss" in Baltic languages:

1) from the same stem as the verb skūpstīt (to kiss), itself from sūkstīt (to suck repeatedly), the iterative form of sūkt (to suck)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇱🇻" title="Flagge von Lettland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Lettland"> skūpsts

2)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇱🇹" title="Flagge von Litauen" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Litauen"> bučinys
the verb "bučiuoti" (to kiss) is from Proto-Indo-European *bus- (to kiss)

"Kiss" in Albanian and Irish :P

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇦🇱" title="Flagge von Albanien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Albanien"> puthje
gerund of puth (I kiss), which is from Proto-Albanian *putsa, from P-I-E *puḱ- (press together)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇮🇪" title="Flagge von Irland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Irland"> póg
from Old Irish póc, from Latin "(dare) pācem" (to give peace), originally a kiss as a sign of peace during a mass