dundurs

Latvian

Dundurs

Etymology

Derived from the verb dundēt (“to thunder”), etymologically a variant of dunēt (“to drone, to boom”) (q.v.): both iterative-intensive forms of a no longer existing verb *dunt (“to resound”). The word was originally a reference to the low-pitched buzzing noise made by horseflies. Cognates include Lithuanian dunduris (“thunder, thunderclap”), dundurỹs (“horsefly”), Middle Dutch dunder, German Donner (“thunder”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: [dūnduɾs]

Noun

dundurs m, 1st declension

1. horsefly, gadfly (medium to large flies (family: Tabanidae, especially Tabanus spp.) that suck the blood of mammals)

   dunduru laiks — horsefly time, weather

   atgaiņāt dundurus — to repel, drive away horseflies

   rūc kā dundurs — (s/he) growls like a horsefly (i.e., sings very badly)

   dunduri ēda nost zirgus un uzbruka arī cilvēkiem, kur vien varēdami piekļūt un pasūkt asinis — horseflies ate away the horses and attacked also people, wherever they could go and suck blood

Declension

declension of dundurs

	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	dundurs	dunduri
accusative (akuzatīvs)	dunduru	dundurus
genitive (ģenitīvs)	dundura	dunduru
dative (datīvs)	dunduram	dunduriem
instrumental (instrumentālis)	dunduru	dunduriem
locative (lokatīvs)	dundurā	dunduros
vocative (vokatīvs)	dundur	dunduri

References