Latvian edit

Etymology edit

From an earlier *skersti via palatalization (*sk > šķ) and vowel lengthening due to low tone (*èr > ēr), from Proto-Baltic *skerd-ti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *skurd, from Proto-Indo-European *ker-, *sker- “to cut” (whence also šķirt, q.v.) with an extra d.

Cognates include Lithuanian sker̃sti (to slaughter (farm animals)), Old Prussian scurdis (mistakenly spelled sturdis), Old Church Slavonic оскръдъ (oskrŭdŭ), Russian оско́рд (oskórd, big ax), Czech oškrd (whetstone), Polish oskard (hoe).[1]

Pronunciation edit

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Verb edit

šķērst (transitive, 1st conjugation, present šķēržu, šķērd, šķērž, past šķērdu)

  1. to cut a dead animal or human so as to expose the internal organs
    šķērst nokauto cūkuto cut (open) a slaughtered pig
    šķērst zivisto cut (open) fish
    viņš paņēma nazi, nokāpa uz klāja un šķērda skumbrijashe took the knife, went down on deck and cut (open) the mackarel
    sāka zaķi šķērst pusdienas tiesaihe began to cut (open) the hare for the midday court

Conjugation edit

Derived terms edit

prefixed verbs:

Related terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “šķērst”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN