sirms

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *širmas, from *ḱr̥-m-os (with a suffix -m), from Proto-Indo-European *ker-, *ḱer-, *ḱr̥- (“gray color”), whence also sērsna (“frozen snow layer”) (q.v.). Cognates include Lithuanian šìrmas, šir̃mas, šir̃vas (“gray”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [sīɾms]

Adjective

sirms (definite sirmais, comparative sirmāks, superlative vissirmākais, adverb sirmi)

  1. (of hair, beard, etc) gray (having become grayish white after losing its original color)
    sirmi mati, grumbaina seja ― gray hair, wrinkled face
    sirma bārda ― gray beard
  2. (of people, people's body parts) gray, gray-haired (having gray hair)
    sirms vīrs ― gray-haired man
    sirma galva ― gray head
    sirmi deniņi ― gray temples
  3. (of animals, birds) gray (having a light gray or grayish white color, fur, plumage)
    sirma stirna ― gray doe
    sirma bebrāda ― gray beaver skin, fur
  4. (figuratively) gray, grayish white
    pār Daugavu kūp sirma migla ― over the Daugava (river) a gray fog spreads itself
  5. (figuratively) very old, ancient
    sirms vecums ― old (lit. gray) age
    nodzīvot sirmu mūžu ― to live a long (lit. gray) life
    sirmas majas ― old (lit. gray) houses
    sirmā Rīga ― old (lit. gray) Rīga
    sirma senatne, senatnība ― very distant past, ancient times (lit. gray antiquity)

Declension

Derived terms

References

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