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: [sīɾms]

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Adjective

sirms (def. sirmais, comp. sirmāks, sup. vissirmākais; adv. sirmi)

(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
(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
(of animals, birds) gray (having a light gray or grayish white color, fur, plumage)
sirma stirna — gray doe

sirma bebrāda — gray beaver skin, fur
(figuratively) gray, grayish white
pār Daugavu kūp sirma migla — over the Daugava (river) a gray fog spreads itself
(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

indefinite declension (nenoteiktā galotne) of sirms

	masculine (vīriešu dzimte)		feminine (sieviešu dzimte)
	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	sirms	sirmi	sirma	sirmas
accusative (akuzatīvs)	sirmu	sirmus	sirmu	sirmas
genitive (ģenitīvs)	sirma	sirmu	sirmas	sirmu
dative (datīvs)	sirmam	sirmiem	sirmai	sirmām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	sirmu	sirmiem	sirmu	sirmām
locative (lokatīvs)	sirmā	sirmos	sirmā	sirmās
vocative (vokatīvs)	—	—	—	—