Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *put-, *pout-; compare Latvian putns < *put-inas (compare Lithuanian dialectal pùtinas ‎(“rooster”)); Proto-Slavic *pъtákъ. The Lithuanian form can be explained as o-grade *pout- + -tis, with a prothetic -k-. For similar examples, compare šaukštas ‎(“spoon”) < *šaud-tas, krikstas ‎(“baptism”) < *krist-, pūkšlė ‎(“hives”) < *pūt-slė.

A connection with Proto-Indo-European *put- ‎(“child, young”); compare Latin putus ‎(“boy”), Sanskrit पुत्र​ ‎(putrá-, “son, young of an animal”), पोत ‎(póta​, “young of an animal”), Avestan 𐬞𐬎𐬚𐬭𐬀 ‎(puϑra-, “son”); means that the Balto-Slavic term must originally have meant "chick", compare dialectal paũtas ‎(“egg”), putýtis ‎(“chick”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɒʊk.ʃtʲɪs/