[ 'bɔ:ltɪk , 'bɒlt- ]
■ noun
1》 ( the ~ ) an almost landlocked sea of northern Europe.
↘(also the ~ States ) a small group of states on the eastern shores of the ~ Sea, consisting of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
2》 an Indo-European branch of languages consisting of Lithuanian, Latvian, and Old Prussian.
■ adjective relating to the ~ Sea or the ~ group of languages.
Origin
C16: from med. L. ~us , from late L. Balthae 'dwellers near the ~ Sea'.