Via other European languages, ultimately borrowed fromAzerbaijaniAzərbaycan, itself apparently fromPersianآذر(âzar,“fire”) andپایگان(pâyegân,“protector, guardian”), i.e. “guardian of fire,” apparently a reference to Zoroastrian practices. InLatvian, the word was made into a feminine 4th-declension noun, following the usual pattern for country names.
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Azerbaidžāna f (4th declension)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Azerbaidžāna | — |
| genitive | Azerbaidžānas | — |
| dative | Azerbaidžānai | — |
| accusative | Azerbaidžānu | — |
| instrumental | Azerbaidžānu | — |
| locative | Azerbaidžānā | — |
| vocative | Azerbaidžāna | — |