Latvian

Noun

svešums m (1st declension)

1. foreign land, country (a land or country other than one's homeland)

   man gribējas pastāstīt par krievu meiteni, kuru liktenis ilgu klejojumu gados aizvedis svešumā‎ ― I wanted to tell (you) about a Russian girl whose fate took her to foreign lands for long years of wandering

   ceļot ir labi... arī tādēļ, ka, no svešuma kalna raugoties, dzimtā mala ir daudz mīļāka‎ ― to travel is good... also because, looking from the hill(s) of a foreign land, the native country is (= looks) much sweeter

   bēgļi iet nesteigdamies, jo dzimteni zaudējušiem, tāpat kā mirušiem, nav kur steigties: vienus gaida svešums, otrus kapu smiltis‎ ― refugees go without hurrying, because, having lost their homeland, they, like dead people, have nowhere to hurry: foreign lands await some (of them), the sands of a grave (await) others

2. strangeness, foreignness, distance (the quality of that which is strange, foreign, distant)

   apkaimes svešums‎ ― the foreigness of a neighborhood

   visur bažīgi pretī raudzījās sveši cilvēki, saņēma nelaipni, izskatījās paši savu rūpju nomākti... zēna piedzīvojumu kāre bija ātri izsīkusi, redzot, ka svešums visur apmēram vienāds‎ ― everywhere strangers looked anxiously around, were unkind, looked worried about their own problems... the boy's thirst for (new) experiences had quickly been exhausted, seeing (= when he saw) that the foreignness was everywhere about the same

   viņu savstarpējās attiecībās beidzamajā laikā bija ieviesusies kaut kāda neuzticība, svešums‎ ― lately, in their mutual relations, a certain distrust, (a) strangeness (= distance) had crept in

   tā svešums strap laulātajiem ar katru dienu auga lielāks... Valentīna bija kļuvusi pavisam apātiska‎ ― so, the foreignness (= distance) between the married couple grew every day bigger... Valentīna had become completely apathetic

Declension

Synonyms

• (of "foreign land"): svešatne

Related terms

• svešatne
• svešs, svešāds
• svešinieks, svešiniece