Laivai

Laivai is the Lithuanian word for ships in the plural form. It is the plural of laivas, which means a single ship, and it is used in maritime contexts as well as in everyday language to refer to multiple vessels.

In usage, laivai appears in news reports, historical accounts, and literature when discussing maritime activity on the Baltic Sea or in port cities such as Klaipėda. The term can denote a fleet or merely several vessels depending on context. Grammatically, laivai is masculine and forms the plural for the noun laivas; the corresponding singular is laivas, and the genitive plural is laivų, among other case forms.

Etymologically, laivas and laivai arise from the Lithuanian root laiv- meaning ship. The plural laivai is constructed by adding the -ai ending to the stem, a common pattern for forming masculine plural nouns in Lithuanian. The word is widely recognized within the Lithuanian language and serves as a standard term in nautical discussion as well as in metaphorical usage, such as references to a “sea of ships” in descriptive prose.

Related terms include laivas (singular ship), laivynas (the fleet or navy), and uostas (port). Laivai can also appear in idiomatic expressions related to shipping, travel, and maritime history in Lithuanian discourse.

See also: laivas, laivynas, uostas, Klaipėda (a major Lithuanian port).