Latvian
Noun
kukainis m (2nd declension)
- insect, bug (arthropod with a three-part body, three pairs of legs, sometimes also wings (class: Insecta); less specifically, also other kinds of arthropods, such as spiders)
- asinssūcēji kukaiņi ― blood-sucking insects
- indīgie kukaiņi ― poisonous insects
- ūdens kukaiņi ― aquatic (lit. water) insects
- lidojošie kukaiņi ― flying insects
- bezspārnu kukaiņi ― apterous (= wingless) insects
- nakts kukaiņi ― nocturnal insects
- kaitīgie kukaiņi ― harmful insects
- kukaiņu kāpuri ― insect larvae
- kukaiņu dzēlumi ― insect stings
- kukaiņa inde ― insect poison
- kukaiņu klase ― the (taxonomic) class Insecta
- kukaiņi ir vislielākā dzīvnieku klase, tajā ietilpst gandrīz trīs ceturtdaļas vispār pazīstamo sugu ― insects are the largest class of animals, in which almost three fourths of all known species are contained
- vasarā dabā mēs ik uz soļa sastopamies ar dažādiem kukaiņiem: gan krāšņie tauriņi, kas lido no zieda uz ziedu, gan veiklās spāres, gan sienāži, gan dažādas vaboles un mušas ― in summer, in nature, we find various insects at every step: splendid butterflies flying from flower to flower, agile dragonflies, grasshoppers, various beetles and flies
- bērns bija netīrs un pilns kukaiņiem ― the child was dirty and full of insects (= parasites, lice)
- (colloquial, usually of people) being, creature
- un tu nāci pie briesmīgā Arka atvainoties? vai zini, tu gan esi viens jokains kukainis ― and you came to the terrible Arks to apologize (to him)? you know, you are indeed one funny creature (lit. insect, bug)
Declension
Declension of kukainis (2nd declension)
Usage notes
Kukainis is the usual term for “insect” in Latvian; its synonym insekts is rarer, and usually more academic or learned.
Synonyms
References
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↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “kukainis”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, ISBN 9984-700-12-7
