Latvian

Melnas ūsas (1)

Kaķa ūsas (2)

Zivs ūsas (3)

Prusaka ūsas (3)

Noun

ūsa f (4th declension)

1. (chiefly in the plural) moustache (hair between the nose and the lips)

   melnas ūsas‎ ― black moustache

   kuplas ūsas‎ ― bushy moustache

   audzēt ūsas‎ ― to grow a moustache

   noglaudīt ūsas‎ ― to stroke (one's) moustache

   skrullēt ūsu galus‎ ― to twirl (one's) moustache tips

2. (chiefly in the plural) whiskers (hair-like tactile projections on the sides of the upper lip of certain mammals)

   kaķis ar garām, baltām ūsām‎ ― a cat with long, white whiskers

   žurkas purns ar pagarajām ūsām‎ ― a rat's muzzle with extended, long whiskers

3. barbels, antennae (hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.)

   sams sāka peldēt: liela galva, garās ūsas, tumša mugura‎ ― the catfish started swimming: big head, long barbels, dark back

   ja prusakiem tiek zaudēta kāja vai ūsa, kukainis to spēj ataudzēt‎ ― if cockroaches lose a leg or an antenna, the insect can regenerate it, grow it again

Declension

Usage notes

Even though the singular forms do exist and are occasionally found (especially in the “insect antenna” sense), the plural forms are much more frequent.

Derived terms

• ūsains
• ūsainis

References

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