apavs

Latvian

Apavi

Etymology

From the same stem as the verb aut (“to put on (footwear)”): *ap-aw-as > apavs. The original meaning, probably “bandage,” “covering (cloth),” was already often connected to footwear in 17th- and 18th-century texts, though not obligatorily (cf. expressions like kāju apavs “foot apavs” in folk tales). Cognates include Lithuanian ãpavas, Russian обувь (obuvʹ), Czech obuv, Polish obuwie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [apaws]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

apavs m (1st declension)

1. footwear (shoes, boots, sandals, etc.)

   ādas, gumijas apavi ― leather, rubber footwear, shoes

   vasaras, ziemas apavi ― summer, winter fotwear, shoes

   viegli, smagi apavi ― light, heavy footwear, shoes

   mājas apavi ― home, indoor shoes, footwear

   labot apavus ― to mend, to repair shoes, fotwear

   kurpnieks novietoja kurpi uz plaukta blakus citiem labojamiem apaviem ― the cobbler placed the shoe on the shelf, next to the other footwear to be mended

   gaumīgi iekārtotajās veikala telpās vitrinās izvietotas dāždažādu lielumu, fasonu un krāsu kurpes un citi apavi ― in the indoor showcases of a tastefully decorated shop one places shoes and other footwear of various sizes, styles and colors

   un pēkšņi šķiet: ir apavs caurs ― and suddenly it seemed: the shoe has a hole

Usage notes

Latvian apavi is more frequently used than English footwear and is often better translated as shoes (cf. Russian обувь (obuvʹ)); the term kāja, usually "leg", "foot", is less frequently used as a synonym. Note also that the plural forms (apavi, etc.) are much more frequently used than the singular forms (apavs, etc.)

Declension

Declension of apavs (1st declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	apavs	apavi
genitive	apava	apavu
dative	apavam	apaviem
accusative	apavu	apavus
instrumental	apavu	apaviem
locative	apavā	apavos
vocative	apav	apavi

Synonyms

• kāja

Derived terms

• apavnieks
• apavu lāpstiņa f

Related terms

• aut

See also

• čība
• kurpe
• pastala
• zābaks