veļi

See also: Appendix:Variations of "veli"

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *welias, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- (“tear; pluck; rob; hurt; kill”).

Cognates include Lithuanian vẽlės, vė̃lės (singular vėlė̃, velė̃; compare also veliónis (“dead”)), Proto-Germanic *walaz (“dead”) (Old Norse valr (“fallen in the battlefield”), Valhǫll (“abode of fallen warriors”), valkyrja (“Valkyrie”) (i.e., those who led the dead warriors to Odin), Old High German wal (“battlefield”)), Tocharian A wäl (“to die”), walu (“dead one”).

Noun

veļi m (2nd declension)

1. (mythology, poetic, usually in the plural) soul of the dead; ghost

   veļu valstība, valsts ― the realm of the dead

   veļu kults ― cult of the dead

   veļu laiks ― time of the dead (time in October when the dead return to visit their descendants)

   aiziet veļos ― to go to the dead (i.e., to die)

Usage notes

There is a singular form velis, sporadically attested.

Declension

Declension of veļi (2nd declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	—	veļi
genitive	—	veļu
dative	—	veļiem
accusative	—	veļus
instrumental	—	veļiem
locative	—	veļos
vocative	—	veļi

Derived terms

• veļu māte
• veļu mēnesis

Related terms

• velns