sermulis

Latvian

Sermulis (vasarā)
Sermulis (ziemā)

Alternative forms

Etymology

From *serm- +‎ -ulis, from Proto-Baltic *šerm-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“gray color”) with an extra -m (whence also Latvian sirms (“gray”), q.v.). Cognates include Lithuanian šarmuõ, šermuõ, šermuonė̃lis, Old High German harmo, German Hermelin.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [sæ̂ɾmulis]

Noun

sermulis m (2nd declension)

  1. stoat, ermine (a mustelid species of the weasel family, Mustela erminea, whose fur becomes completely white in winter)
    sermuļa āda, sermuļāda ― ermine fur
    sermuļa apkakle ― ermine (fur) collar
    sermulis ir ļoti derīgs dzīvnieks, jo iznīcina daudz peļu ― the stoat is a very useful animal, because it kills many mice
    sermulis medī žurkas, ūdensžurkas, peles, sīkos putnus, uzbrūk pat irbēm un zaķiem ― the stoat hunts rats, water rats, mice, little birds, attacking even partridges and hares

Declension

Derived terms

References

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