spalva - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Proto-Baltic *spalwā, from Proto-Indo-European *pel-, *spʰel- (“to split, cast off”) with a w extension. Alternatively, *spalu- may simply have been a u-stem noun, later transformed into an ā-stem noun: *spalu-ā- > *spalvā-. The original meaning was probably “that which was torn off, plucked, shorn.” Cognates include Lithuanian spalvà (“color”) (“color” meaning is a secondary development), Sudovian spiła.[1]
spalva f (4th declension)
- feather (branching, hair-like structure that covers the skin of birds; a feather covering)
- pīlu, vistu, baložu spalvas ― duck, chicken, pigeon feathers
- raibas spalvas ― speckled feathers
- mest spalvas ― to change (lit. throw) feathers, to moult
- plūkt, plucināt spalvas ― to pluck feathers
- spalvu sega ― feather blanket, duvet
- spalvu mākoņi ― cirrus clouds (lit. feather clouds)
- fur, hair; a covering of hair (on mammals)
- zirgam gluda, spoža spalva ― the horse has smooth, shiny hair
- spalvām apaugušas rokas, kājas ― hands, feet covered, overgrown with hair
- mākslīga spalva ― artificial, synthetic fur
- liels suns, gludu spalvu, tumši brūns kā kastanis ― a big dog, (with) smooth fur, dark brown like a chestnut
- truši met spalvu, t. i., mati izkrīt un to vietā izaug jauni ― rabbits shed their fur, i.e., their hairs fall off and on the same place new ones grow
- quill, pen (especially to be used as a writing instrument)
- noasināta zoss spalva ― a sharpened goose quill
- rakstāmspalva ― writing pen, nib
- pildspalva ― writing pen
- rupja, smalka spalva ― coarse, fine pen
- iemērkt spalvu tintē, tušā ― to dip the pen in ink
- pirmais spalvas mēģinājums ― the first attempt at the pen (= at writing, by a new author)
In the “writing implement” sense, pildspalva is the usual term, spalva being usually reserved for special, or old-fashioned, pens (especially feather pens) or for metaphorical uses.
- (of "hair, fur"): mati
- ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “spalva”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca[1] (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
From Proto-Balto-Slavic *spalwā, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)p(h)el- (“to split, cast off”), with a w extension. Alternatively, *spalu- may simply have been a u-stem noun, later transformed into an ā-stem noun: *spalu-ā- > *spalvā-. The original meaning was probably “that which was torn off, plucked, shorn.” Cognates include Latvian spalva (“feather, fur”), Nareva Baltic spiła; the “color” meaning is a secondary development, from “feather, fur.”
spalvà f (plural spal̃vos) stress pattern 4
spalva f (plural spalvas)