daiļš

See also dails

Latvian

Alternative forms

• (dialectal form) dails

Etymology

From an old (unattested) adjective *dailus, which yielded two parallel forms, a yo-stem adjective (> standard daiļš) and an o-stem adjective (> dialectal dails), from Proto-Baltic *day- with an extra suffix -l, from the o-grade form of Proto-Indo-European *dey-, *doy- (“to shine brightly, to glitter, to sparkle”). There was some influence in the meaning of this word from a homophonous Proto-Indo-European stem *dey- (“to swing, to sway, to swirl; to rush”), from which the uses of daiļš to mean “quick, industrious, diligent, skilled” (mostly in folk songs or tales). Cognates include Lithuanian dailùs (“pretty, beautiful, lovely, tasteful”), Sanskrit दीद्यति (didyati, “to shine, to glitter, to sparkle”), Ancient Greek δέατο (“was visible, appeared, seemed”), Irish river name Daol, from *doylā (“shining, bright”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: [dāīʎʃ]

Adjective

daiļš (def. daiļais, comp. daiļāks, sup. visdaiļākais; adv. daiļi)

1. very beautiful, lovely, exquisite (corresponding to high aesthetic ideals, causng aesthetic pleasure)

   daiļš augums — beautiful stature

   daiļa seja — lovely, beautiful face

   daiļas rokas — lovely, beautiful hands

   daiļš zieds — beautiful, exquisite flower

   daiļais dzimums — the beautiful, fair sex (i.e., women)

   viss daiļais cilvēka dzīvē — all (that is) beautiful in human life

   visdaiļāko festivāla meiteni ievēlēs par festivāla skaistuma karalieni — the most beautiful girl in the festival was chosen as the festival's beauty queen

2. beautiful, sublime, with profound meaning

   daiļa dvēsele — beautiful soul

   veidot dzīvi saskanīgu un daiļu — to make (one's) life harmonious and beautiful

3. (rare, folkloric) industrious, virtuous, good

   daiļa, daiļa tā meitiņa, kas darbiņu čakli veic — good, good is the girl who does her work diligently

Declension

indefinite declension (nenoteiktā galotne) of daiļš

	masculine (vīriešu dzimte)			feminine (sieviešu dzimte)
	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)		singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	daiļš	daiļi		daiļa	daiļas
accusative (akuzatīvs)	daiļu	daiļus		daiļu	daiļas
genitive (ģenitīvs)	daiļa	daiļu		daiļas	daiļu
dative (datīvs)	daiļam	daiļiem		daiļai	daiļām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	daiļu	daiļiem		daiļu	daiļām
locative (lokatīvs)	daiļā	daiļos		daiļā	daiļās
vocative (vokatīvs)	—	—		—	—

Synonyms

• glīts
• grezns
• krāšņs
• skaists

Antonyms

• neglīts

Derived terms

• daiļums
• (dated term) daiļava
• (poetic term) daile

References