āpsis
Latvian
Etymology
From Proto-Baltic; compare Lithuanian opšrùs, Old Prussian wobsdus. The source may be Proto-Indo-European *op- (“to do, carry out”), from which Latvian regionalism āpēties (“work hard”) (compare Sanskrit अपस् (ápas, “work, organizing”), Latin opus (“work, task”)). This name would be justified by the badger's well-made burrows. A parallel case is German Dachs (“badger”) from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“weave, build”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [âːpsis]
Audio: (file)
Noun
āpsis m (2nd declension)
- badger (name of several species of mustelids, especially Meles meles)
- āpša āda ― badger skin
- āpšu alas ― badger burrow
- dzīvot kā āpsim alā ― to live like a badger in his burrow (= without paying attention to the lives of others)
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | āpsis | āpši |
| genitive | āpša | āpšu |
| dative | āpsim | āpšiem |
| accusative | āpsi | āpšus |
| instrumental | āpsi | āpšiem |
| locative | āpsī | āpšos |
| vocative | āpsi | āpši |
References
- ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “āpsis”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca [Latvian Etymological Dictionary][1] (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN