upuris

Borrowed from Middle Dutch upper, or from Middle High German opper (cf. German Opfer), itself a borrowing from Latin operārī (“to try, to strive for; to offer, to sacrifice”). This word is first mentioned in 17th-century dictionaries.

• IPA^(key): [upuɾis]

upuris m (2nd declension)

1. (religion, mythology) offering, sacrifice (object or living being offered to a god or gods in a religious ritual so as to satisfy them or win their favor)

   upura kalns ― sacrificial hill

   upura jērs ― sacrificial lamb

   bet Dievs upuri nav pieņēmis ― but God did not accept the offering

2. victim (living being, usually human, which is exposed to, or killed by, direct violence, or a disaster or catastrophe)

   kara upuris ― war victim

   slepkavas upuris ― the assassin's victim

   terora upuris ― terror victim

   plūdu upuri ― flood victims

   satiksmes negadījuma upuris ― car accident victim

   ērglis metās uz savu upuri ― the eagle threw itself on its victim

3. (figuratively) victim (living being, usually human, who have to bear the unpleasant consequences of some act or event)

   alkohola upuris ― a victim of alcohol

   sagadīšanās upuris ― a victim of coincidence

   nepareizas audzināšanas upuris ― a victim of improper upbringing

   savas godkārības upuris ― a victim of one's own ambitions

4. (figuratively) sacrifice (the act of giving up something for some ulterior purpose, goal)

   sabiedriskais darbs, Dievam žēl, prasa upurus; un arī izdevumus ― social work, unfortunately, requires sacrifices; and also costs

   pēc Maijas nāves naivi domāju, ka neprecēšos nekad... tas bija smieklīgi, jo nevienam nebija vajadzīga šī atteikšanās, šis upuris ― after Maija's death I thought naively that I would never get married... this was ridiculous, because nobody needed this renunciation, this sacrifice

   Kasparovs piedāvāja zirdziņa upuri ― (Chess Master) Kasparov offered the sacrifice of a horse

• upurēt, upurēties