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Definition 2024

īlens

īlens

See also: ilens

Latvian

Īlens

Noun

īlens m (1st declension)

  1. awl (pointed instrument for piercing small holes)
    izdurt caurumus ar īlenu‎ ― to pierce, prick holes with an awl
    ass ka īlens‎ ― sharp as an awl
    dur kā ar īlenu‎ ― it pierces as if with an awl (e.g., sharp pain)

Declension

References

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

Etymology

Traditionally, this word is seen as a borrowing from Gothic 𐌴𐌻𐌰 ‎(ēla, “awl”), perhaps via Old Prussian ylo ‎(“awl”). The Gothic e was very narrow (tense), so it was replaced by ī when borrowed. This loanword is first mentioned in 17th-century dictionaries. A more recent theory, however, connects īlens to ilknis ‎(“fang, tusk”), ilkss ‎(“shaft”), and with Hittite illuyanka ‎(“dragon; snake”), where il- apparently refers to something sharp (fang, horn, stinger), in which case īlens might be a retention rather than a borrowing, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *eil-, *il-, *īl-, from *ei-, *h₁ei- ‎(“sharp, pointed”), via a probable Proto-Baltic *īl- +‎ -ens.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [īːlæns]

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