dundurs

Latvian

Dundurs

Etymology

Derived from the verb dundēt (“to thunder”), etymologically a variant of dunēt (“to drone, to boom”) (q.v.): both iterative-intensive forms of a no longer existing verb *dunt (“to resound”). The word was originally a reference to the low-pitched buzzing noise made by horseflies. Cognates include Lithuanian dunduris (“thunder, thunderclap”), dundurỹs (“horsefly”), Middle Dutch dunder, German Donner (“thunder”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [dūnduɾs]
(file)

Noun

dundurs m (1st declension)

  1. horsefly, gadfly (medium to large flies (family: Tabanidae, especially Tabanus spp.) that suck the blood of mammals)
    dunduru laiks ― horsefly time, weather
    atgaiņāt dundurus ― to repel, drive away horseflies
    rūc kā dundurs ― (s/he) growls like a horsefly (i.e., sings very badly)
    dunduri ēda nost zirgus un uzbruka arī cilvēkiem, kur vien varēdami piekļūt un pasūkt asinis ― horseflies ate away the horses and attacked also people, wherever they could go and suck blood

Declension

References

  1. Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “dundurs”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
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