ciets

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *kietas, from *keitas, from Proto-Indo-European *key- (“to set in motion, to move”) with an extra (adjectivizing) suffix -to-s. A parallel form with -tyo-s (*keityas, *kietyas) yielded Latvian ciešs (“tight”). Meaning change: “moving” > “happy, safe, healthy” > “strong, rigid” > “hard.” Cognates include Lithuanian kíetas, Sudovian kit, Old Prussian keytaro (“hail, greeting”), Proto-Slavic *čitъ (dialectal чи́тый (čítyj, “sober”), Serbo-Croatian čȉt (“healthy, whole”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tsiɛ̂ts]

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

ciets (definite cietais, comparative cietāks, superlative viscietākais, adverb cieti, ciet)

1. (physics) solid (having stable form)

   cieta viela, cietviela ― solid substance

   cieti ķermeņi ― solid bodies

   cietais kurināmais ― solid fuel

   ciets agregātstāvoklis ― solid state

2. hard, solid, rigid (difficult to split, crush, bend, etc.)

   ciets minerāls, metāls ― hard, solid mineral, metal

   ciets tērauds, granīts ― hard, solid steel, granite

   ciets diamants, asmens ― hard, solid diamond, blade

   ciets zīmulis ― hard pencil (with lead that wears out slowly)

   ciets kā akmens ― hard, solid as rock

   visi akmeņi nebūt nav vienādi cieti ― not all stones are equally hard

3. hard, solid (having a layer of rock, or snow, or ice)

   cieta augsne, grunts, pļava ― hard soil, ground, meadow

   ciets māls ― hard clay

   ciets pamats ― hard, soild foundation

   uzplēsti seši hektāri cietajā stepes zemē ― six hectares of hard steppe land (were) broken up, plowed

4. (of fabric, cloth) hard, solid (strong, difficult to fold or bend; made of such fabric, cloth)

   ciets audekls ― solid canvas

   cieta aitāda ― hard sheepskin

   ciets zābaks ― hard boot

   viņš nēsāja uzkreklus ar cietām apkaklītēm ― he wore a dickey with a hard collar

5. (of furniture, cushions, etc.) hard (not soft, resistant to pressure)

   ciets dīvāns, spilvens ― hard sofa, pillow

   cieta gulta, atzveltne ― hard bed, back (of chair)

   tas krēsls man par cietu ― that chair is too hard for me

6. (of body parts, tissue) hard (difficult to bend or break)

   citie audi ― hard tissue

   ciets kauls ― hard bone

   cieta āda ― hard skin

   cietās aukslējas ― hard palate

   rokas bija pilnas cietu tulznu ― (his) hands were full of hard blisters

7. (of hands, their skin) hard, hardened (having strong, harsh skin)

   cietas rokas ― hard hands

   cieta plauksta ― hard palm (of hand)

8. (of hair) thick, strong

   cieta bārda ― thick beard

   cietas ūsas ― thick mustache

9. (of plants) hard (difficult to bend, squeeze, trim, prune)

   ciets koks, ozols ― hard tree, oak

   ciets stumbrs, zars ― hard trunk, branch

   ciets grauds ― hard grain

   šo koku koksne pusotras reizes cietāka par dzelzi ― the wood of these trees is one and a half times harder than iron

10. (of food) hard (difficult to bite and chew)

    cieta gaļa, maize ― hard meat, bread

    ciets siers ― hard cheese

    cieta ola ― hard (boiled) egg

11. (of character, will; of people, their behavior) hard, tough (strong, determined, uncompromising, ruthless)

    ciets raksturs ― hard, tough character

    cieta daba ― hard, tough nature

    cieta sirds ― hard heart (i.e., cruel, ruthless)

    viņš bija ciets cilvēks ― he was a hard, tough man (lit. person)

    ciets skatiens ― hard look

    viņa sejas izteiksme bija cieta un nepielūdzama ― his facial expression was hard and relentless

12. (of faces, their features) hard, stiff

    kad pēc vēja brāzmas viņš pacēla seju augstāk, tā bija kļuvusi pelēki cieta ka sastingusi zeme ― when after the wind gust he raised his face, it had become gray hard, stiff like frozen ground

13. (of thoughts, ideas, promisess) hard, definite, clear, inalterable (syn. ciešs)

    ciets solījums ― solemn promise

    kluss vīru pulks... viss gvarda vārdos teikts; vien cietam zvērestam ceļ katrs roku ― the regiment of men (was) silent... all the words of the guard (oath) (were) said; every hand rose with one solemn oath

14. (colloquial) rigid, definite, determined (which cannot be arbitrarily changed)

    cieta alga ― rigid wage, salary

    cietas cenas ― rigid prices

15. (of movements) hard, strong, determined

    mierigiem, cietiem soļiem viņš nāca tuvāk ― with calm, strong steps he came closer

    mātes skāviens ir karsts, ciets, izmisīgs ― mother's hug is warm, strong, desperate

16. (of sleep) tight (syn. ciešs)

    visa nakts tad bija pavadīta cietā, veselīgā miegā ― the whole night was spent in tight, healthy sleep

17. (of water) hard (which contains salts, usually of calcium and magnesium)

    ciets ūdens mazgāšanai nav derīgs ― hard water is not appropriate for washing

18. (of wind, weather) strong, sharp

    jūra bija balta un ziemeļu vējš kļuva aizvien cietāks ― the sea was white and the northern wind became increasingly harder, sharper

    ja priedes tā šūpojas, tad ir vētra, ciets laiks, kā saka tēvs ― if the pines are swaying like that, then there is a storm, hard weather, as father said / used to say

19. (adverbial form; of people, objects) tight(ly) close, close together (syn. ciešs, cieši)

    cieti citu pie citas ― very close one by the other

Usage notes

The adverbial form cieti is the one normally used adverbially; the shorter form ciet is more frequently found as a predicative adverb meaning “closed”, “shut” (cf. German zu) or to mark imperfective status with certain verbs (e.g., iet ciet with respect to perfective aiziet).

Declension

indefinite declension (nenoteiktā galotne) of ciets

	masculine (vīriešu dzimte)			feminine (sieviešu dzimte)
	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)		singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	ciets	cieti		cieta	cietas
accusative (akuzatīvs)	cietu	cietus		cietu	cietas
genitive (ģenitīvs)	cieta	cietu		cietas	cietu
dative (datīvs)	cietam	cietiem		cietai	cietām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	cietu	cietiem		cietu	cietām
locative (lokatīvs)	cietā	cietos		cietā	cietās
vocative (vokatīvs)	—	—		—	—

Synonyms

• (of "hard, solid, rigid"): stings, stingrs, stīvs
• (of "thick"; "concentrated (look)"; "strong (movement)"; "sleep"; "close together"): ciešs

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “of "state of matter"”): šķidrs (“liquid”), gāzveidīgs (“gaseous”)
• (antonym(s) of “of "hard", including "hard water"”): mīksts

Derived terms

• cietība
• cietums
• cietviela

Related terms

• ciešs
• ciet
• cietoksnis