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Definition 2024

strēle

strēle

See also: strele and strēlē

Latvian

Strēles (1)
Zibens strēle (3)
Zemes strēle (5)

Alternative forms

Noun

strēle f (5th declension)

  1. (chiefly figuratively) arrow, dart (projectile thrown with a bow)
    traucas kā izšauta strēle‎ ― speeding, rushing like an arrow (lit. like a shot arrow)
  2. arrow (a component part that is thin and long, usually used for pointing)
    pa skalu slīd strēle, norādīdama iegrimes dziļumu‎ ― along the scale the arrow moved, showing the depth of the sinking
    kad Lilija pēdējo reizi paraudzījās pulkstenī, zeltītās strēles iezīmēja ceturksni uz deviņiem‎ ― when Lilija last looked at the clock, the golden arrows showed a quarter of nine
  3. something narrow and elongated like an arrow
    ledus gan plaisāja sīkās strēlēs, tomēr izturēja‎ ― the ice did crack in tiny arrows, but it held, endured
  4. (of light) beam, ray
    putekļi vērpās saules strēlēs, kas staroja iekšā pa logu‎ ― the dust was spinning under (lit. in) the sun rays which shone in through the window
    kā ugunīga pātaga tumsu pārcirta zibens strēle — like a fiery whip, the lightning bolt (lit. arrow, ray) cut thourgh the dakrness
  5. (of gas, fog, smoke) narrow, elongated formation, strip
    pāri debesīm traucās melnas mākoņu strēles, brīžiem aizsegdamas mēnesi‎ ― across the sky rushed black cloud strips, sometimes hiding the moon
    zilganas dūmu strēles peldēja pāri ievu krūmiem‎ ― bluish smoke strips floated across the cherry bushes
  6. (of land, territory) strip, stretch (narrow, elongated area)
    zemes, smilšu strēle‎ ― a strip of land, of sand
    tāda bija jūrmala šai ciemā: šaura krasta strēle‎ ― such was the seaside at (= near) this village: a narrow stretch of coast
  7. (technology) jib, boom (the projecting arm of a crane)
    līgani pagriezās celtņa strēle‎ ― smoothly turned the crane jib, boom

Declension

Usage notes

The preferred term for "arrow" as a weapon is bulta, while strēle is more frequently used metaphorically, or when talking about pointing signs or component parts.

Synonyms

Derived terms

See also

References

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

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *strel-, *strēl-, from *ster- ‎(“line, streak, stripe; jet, spurt; beam”) (whence also Latvian stars ‎(“ray, beam”), q.v.) with an extra l. The same stem also yielded the 17th-/18th-century verb strēlēt ‎(“to shoot”), later replaced by šaut ‎(“to shoot”). The basic meaning must have been “to scatter, to throw (around)”, from which “to shoot” and, as a nominalized form, “that which is shot.” Cognates include Lithuanian strėlė̃, strėlà ‎(“arrow; shoot, branch; rafter”), Old Church Slavonic стрѣла ‎(strěla), Belarusian, Bulgarian, Russian стрела ‎(strelá), Ukrainian стріла ‎(strilá, “arrow”), Czech střela ‎(“arrow, projectile”), Polish strzała ‎(“arrow”), Old High German strāla ‎(“arrow, lightning bolt”), German Strahl ‎(“ray, beam”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [stɾɛ̂ːlɛ]

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