Definify.com

Definition 2024

purvs

purvs

Latvian

Purvs

Alternative forms

Noun

purvs m (1st declension)

  1. swamp, bog, marsh, morass (low wetland with a layer of accumulated peat)
    kūdras, sūnu purvs‎ ― peat, moss bog
    staigns purvs‎ ― miry bog
    nosusināt purvu‎ ― to drain the swamp
    purva augsne‎ ― swampy soil
    purva dūņas‎ ― bog mud, sludge
    purva kūdra‎ ― swamp, marsh peat
    purva arkls‎ ― swamp plow
    purva gáze‎ ― swamp gas (= methane)
    purva drudzis‎ ― swamp fever (= malaria)
    purva bērzs‎ ― bog birch
    purva varde‎ ― marsh frog
    brist pa purvu‎ ― to wade through the swamp, bog
    lasīt purvā dzērvenes‎ ― to gather cranberries in the swamp
    naktī pār purvu skrēja purva sloka... atvērtu knābi tā šāvās no vienas malas uz otru, rijot knišļus‎ ― at night the swamp woodcock runs all over the swamp... it swings its open beak from side to side, swallowing small flies
  2. (figuratively) swamp (hard, difficult circumstances)
    nogrimt purvā‎ ― to sink in the swamp (= to be in difficult circumstances)
    elpu! elpu!... man šinī purvā jānosmok!.. ak, kaut es spētu nokratīt šo dzīvi‎ ― air! air!... I have to stifle in this swamp!... oh, if only I could shake off this life

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

  1. ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “purvs”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, ISBN 9984-700-12-7

Etymology

The origin of this word is unclear. Some compare it to Lower Sorbian para ‎(“filth, dung”), Polabian poro ‎(“filth, dung; swamp, bog”) (assuming that o < *uo < *ō), from a stem *pōr to which an extra v or vo was added. Others relate purvs to Ancient Greek πυρρός ‎(purrhós, “red, pink, brownish red”), Sanskrit पुरीषम् ‎(púrīṣam, “filth, dung”), परुषः ‎(paruṣaḥ, “spotted, speckled”), pointing out that it often happens in Indo-European languages that "swamp" and "red" are related terms (e.g., from Proto-Slavic *ruda “red,” Polish ruda “ore, peat, swamp,” Ukrainian руда ‎(rudá) “ore, swamp”), probably because of the reddish-brown color of swamp waters. Cognates include Lithuanian pur̃vas ‎(“filth, dirt”), Sudovian puro ‎(“swamp”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [pùɾvs]

Similar Results