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Definition 2025

smaka

smaka

See also: smakā

Latvian

Alternative forms

Noun

smaka m

  1. (dialectal form) genitive singular form of smaks

smaka f (4th declension)

  1. (usually bad) smell, stink, stench
    nepatīkama, kodīga smaka‎ ― unpleasant, pungent smell
    pēlējuma, sēra, sviedru smaka‎ ― mold, sulphur, sweat smell
    salda, skāba smaka‎ ― sweet, sour smell
    nejust nekādu smaku‎ ― to not feel any smell
    sajust dūmu samku‎ ― to feel the smell of smoke
    izvēdināt piedeguma smaku‎ ― to disperse the burned smell (by ventilating the room)
    pretīga gruzduma smaka tā piesātinājusi visu apkārtni, ka grūti bija elpot‎ ― the digusting stench of smoke had saturated the whole neighborhood, so that it was hard to breathe

Declension

Synonyms

Related terms

  • smakot

References

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

Polish

Pronunciation

Noun

smaka ‎(plural smaka)

  1. craving
    "Ja mam smaka na pierogi." - "I have a craving for pierogies."
    "Smaka na fastfood." - "Craving fastfood."

Swedish

Pronunciation

Verb

smaka ‎(present smakar, preterite smakade, supine smakat, imperative smaka)

  1. to taste
    Hon hade aldrig smakat glass förut. - She had never tasted ice cream before.
    Det smakar gott. - It tastes good.

Etymology

Traditionally considered a borrowing from Middle Low German smak ‎(“taste; smell”) or Saterland Frisian smaka or Middle Dutch smake, which is supported by its use in 17th-century texts to mean not only “smell,” but also “taste.” This may however have been a purely written usage, given the absence at the time of a term for “taste;” other writings of the period suggest that the “taste” meaning was rare or unattested among speakers. If this is so, the word might actually not be a borrowing, but an indigenous formation, from the stem of the verb smakt ‎(“to stifle; to choke; to gasp”) (q.v.), made into a 4th-declension feminine noun. Since ancient Baltic and Iranian tribes were neighbors for some time, there may also be influence from Iranian languages (cf. Ossetian смаг ‎(smag, “odor”). Originally, smaka had a broader meaning, “smell, odor” (in general); in the 19th century, the phrase laba smaka “good odor” still occurred. Later on it switched senses with smarža (which used to mean “bad smell” but is now neutral; q.v.).[1]

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