ierocis

Derived from ie- +‎ roka (“hand”) and made into a second-declension masculine noun (ending -is). The original meaning was probably “handle” (“in-hand”), maybe “sword handle” (in some older sourcers, ierocis is given as a synonym of zobens “sword”). In the 18th and 19th centuries, ierocis, like its Lithuanian cognate, could also mean “tool, instrument” (< “something held with one's hand”); its military meaning grew gradually more important, becoming dominant by the end of the 19th century. Cognates include Lithuanian į̇́rankis (“tool, instrument, weapon”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ìɛɾuôtsis]

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ierocis m (2nd declension)

1. weapon (instrument used to injure, kill, or destroy)

   medību ierocis ― hunting weapon

   šaujamais ierocis, šaujamierocis ― firearm

   eksplozīvie ieroči ― explosive weapons

   aukstie ieroči ― blade (lit. cold) weapons

   masveida iznīcināšanas ieroči ― weapons of mass destruction

   bakterioloģiskie, bioloģiskie, ķīmiskie ieroči ― bacteriological, biological, chemical weapons

• kodolierocis
• šaujamierocis, šaujamais ierocis