āpsis
Latvian edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Baltic; compare Lithuanian opšrùs, Old Prussian wobsdus. The source may be Proto-Indo-European *op- (“to do, carry out”), from which Latvian regionalism āpēties (“work hard”) (compare Sanskrit अपः (ápaḥ, “work, organizing”), Latin opus (“work, task”)). This name would be justified by the badger's well-made burrows. A parallel case is German Dachs (“badger”) from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“weave, build”).[1]
Pronunciation edit
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Noun edit
āpsis m (2nd declension)
- badger (name of several species of mustelids, especially Meles meles)
- āpša āda ― badger skin
- āpšu alas ― badger burrow
- dzīvot kā āpsim alā ― to live like a badger in his burrow (= without paying attention to the lives of others)
Declension edit
Declension of āpsis (2nd declension)
References edit
- ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “āpsis”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN