pelēks - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Traditionally derived from pele (“mouse”) (q.v.), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“gray, pale”), with a suffix -ek, to refer to an inherent quality of mice. But maybe it was derived directly from *pel-, via a previous adjective *pels (whence the verb pelēt (“to grow moldy, mildewy”) and the dialectal form pelgans (“grayish”), yielding *pel(e)ks (compare 19th-century family name Peleks); the final vowel would then be lengthened by association with pele (“mouse”). Cognates include Lithuanian pilkas.[1]
pelēks (definite pelēkais, comparative pelēkāks, superlative vispelēkākais, adverb pelēki)
- gray (having the color of, e.g., ash; white with low brightness)
- pelēka krāsa ― gray color
- gaiši, tumši pelēks ― light, dark gray
- zvina pelēks ― lead gray
- pelēkas debesis ― gray sky
- pelēki mākoņi, migla ― gray cloud(s), mist
- gray (having a tone or hue similar to gray when compared to other related elements)
- pelēkais strazds ― gray thrush, fieldfare
- pelēkā alva ― gray tin
- pelēkais čuguns ― gray cast iron
- gray, cloudy
- pelēka diena, pelēks rīts ― gray day, gray morning
- colorless, commonplace, uninteresting, unhealthy
- pelēka ikdiena ― gray (= uninteresting) everyday (life)
- pelēka masa ― gray (= undifferentiated) mass (of people)
- Seja slimniekam kļuvusi pelēka ― The patient's face turned gray.
| balts | pelēks | melns |
| sarkans, sārts | oranžs; brūns | dzeltens |
| zaļš | ||
| zilzaļš, ciāns | zils | |
| violets; zilganviolets, indigo | fuksīns; violets | rozā |
- ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “pelēks”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca[1] (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN