cilvēks

Borrowed from Old East Slavic человѣкъ (čelověkŭ) (cf. Russian челове́к (čelovék), from Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ, from earlier *kelověkъ). The word vīrs (“man, male”) had previously been used to mean also “human being,” given the loss of a previous specific term (cf. Lithuanian žmogùs, Latin homo); this polysemy may have motivated the borrowing.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [tsìlvæ̀ːks]
• IPA^(key): [tsìɫvæ̀ːks]

• Audio:

  (file)

cilvēks m (1st declension)

1. person, human being (a member of the Homo sapiens species, capable of thinking and speaking)

   labs, jauns, jautrs cilvēks ― good, young, playful person

   gudrs cilvēks ― wise person

   noslēgts cilvēks ― reserved, reticent person

   cilvēka izcelšanās ― the origin of man (lit. person)

   cilvēka attīstība ― human (lit. person's) development

   cilvēka cieņa ― human (lit. person's) dignity

   cilvēku sabiedrība ― human (lit. people's) society

   precēts cilvēks ― a married person (usually a man)

   ģimenes cilvēks ― a family person (usually a man)

   mieras cilvēks ― a peaceful (lit. of peace) person

2. (good) person (one who is not insensitive, who is kindhearted, helpful)

   tie bija cilvēki, tur bērns varēja dzīvot ― those were (good) people, there (= with them) a child could live

3. (in plural) people (an undefined group of men and/or women)

   uz ielas cilvēku pūlis ― on the street (there was) a crowd of people

   ē, puiši! ē, meitas! ē, cilvēki! palīgā, palīgā! ― hey, guys! hey, girls! hey, people! help, help!

• (people): ļaudis

• alu cilvēks
• cilvēce
• cilvēcisks, cilvēciskums
• cilvēcība
• cilvēcīgs, cilvēcīgums

• ļaudis
• bērns, sieviete, vīrietis