Date
Meaning & History
Derived from Aisčiai, which is the Lithuanian name for the Aesti, a Baltic tribe (or people) that was first described by the Roman historian TACITUS (born c. 56 AD, died c. 120 AD) in his treatise Germania. He referred to them as Aestiorum gentes in his work. The etymology of the tribe's name is uncertain: some scholars believe that its meaning is "oriental, eastern", whilst others see a connection with the Gothic verb aistan meaning "to respect, to fear" and/or with Middle Low German eiste or ēste meaning "oast, kiln" or "threshing barn".