suns

lv-noun

suns m (2nd declension, irregular nominative)

suns (nominative singular)
suņi (nominative plural)
suņa (genitive singular)
suņu (genitive plural)
sunim (dative singular)
suņiem (dative plural)
suni (accusative singular)
suņus (accusative plural)
suni (instrumental singular)
suņiem (instrumental plural)
sunī (locative singular)
suņos (locative plural)
suni (singular vocative)
suņi (plural vocative)

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *kwṓ. An older Latvian form *so is now found only in one dialect (Nīgrande) as a word to call dogs. Cognates include Lithuanian šuõ (genitive šuñs, dialectal šunis), Old Prussian sunis, Proto-Germanic *hundaz (Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (hunds), Old Norse hundr, Icelandic hundur, Swedish hund, Old High German hunt, Old English hund, German Hund, Dutch hond, English hound), Irish cú, Welsh ci, plural cŵn, Sanskrit श्वन् (śván), genitive शुनस् (śunas), Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬁 (spā), genitive plural 𐬯𐬎𐬥𐬀𐬨 (sunam), Old Armenian շուն (šun), Ancient Greek κύων (kúōn), Latin canis (Italian cane, Portuguese cão, French chien, Spanish can).

mājas suns

medību suns

aitu, ganu suns

nikns suns

suns rej uz gājēju

suņa dzīve, darbs

Canis lupus familiaris
Canis lupus familiaris#Translingual


zirgs

zirgs (nominative singular)
zirgi (nominative plural)
zirga (genitive singular)
zirgu (genitive plural)
zirgam (dative singular)
zirgiem (dative plural)
zirgu (accusative singular)
zirgus (accusative plural)
zirgu (instrumental singular)
zirgiem (instrumental plural)
zirgā (locative singular)
zirgos (locative plural)
zirg (singular vocative)
zirgi (plural vocative)

From Proto-Baltic *źirˀgás. Cognates include Lithuanian žìrgas (“good, beautiful horse; steed”), Old Prussian sirgis ([zirgis], “stallion”), Sudovian zirgo (“horse”).

cog

šķirnes zirgs

darba zirgs

sacīkšu zirgs

neiebraukts zirgs

braukt ar zirgu

zirgs rikšo, auļo

zirgs zviedz

apkalt zirgu

dzirdīt zirgus pie akas

jūgt zirgu arklā

strādā kā zirgs

Equus caballus
Equus caballus#Translingual

horse (esp. Equus caballus; generic word)


zvirbulis

zvirbulis (nominative singular)
zvirbuļi (nominative plural)
zvirbuļa (genitive singular)
zvirbuļu (genitive plural)
zvirbulim (dative singular)
zvirbuļiem (dative plural)
zvirbuli (accusative singular)
zvirbuļus (accusative plural)
zvirbuli (instrumental singular)
zvirbuļiem (instrumental plural)
zvirbulī (locative singular)
zvirbuļos (locative plural)
zvirbuli (singular vocative)
zvirbuļi (plural vocative)

From Proto-Indo-European *werb-, *werp- ( + -ulis; compare also vērpt (“to spin”)), from *wer- (“to turn, to twist, to bend”) (with an extra suffix -p, -b). The original meaning was a bird that turns and moves all the time. The initial z is either from an s-mobile, or the influence of some other term for this bird species (e.g., dialectal žīgurs, žvīgurs, žvingurs, apparently from the same stem as zviegt (“to neigh, to whinny”), q.v.). Cognates include Lithuanian žvìrblis, Old Church Slavonic врабии (vrabii), Russian воробе́й (vorobéj), Bulgarian врабе́ц (vrabéc), Czech vrabec, Polish wróbel.

mājas zvirbulis

sparrow (a number of bird species of the order Passeriformes, genus Passer)


lauva

lv-noun

lauva m or f (4th declension, irregular gender, dative singular)

gender (irregular)
lauva (nominative singular)
lauvas (nominative plural)
lauvas (genitive singular)
lauvu (genitive plural)
lauvam (dative singular)
lauvai (dative singular)
lauvām (dative plural)
lauvu (accusative singular)
lauvas (accusative plural)
lauvu (instrumental singular)
lauvām (instrumental plural)
lauvā (locative singular)
lauvās (locative plural)
lauva (singular vocative)
lauvas (plural vocative)

→ Livonian: louv

Borrowed from Middle High German louwe (cf. German Löwe), from Proto-Germanic *laujan, a borrowing from Latin leō. It has been suggested, on the basis of Lithuanian liū̃tas (“lion”), Russian лю́тый зверь (ljútyj zverʹ, “beast, lion”), that there was an earlier Slavo-Balto-Germanic term with the root *liu-; if so, this term was lost very early on in Latvian, replaced by the Middle High German borrowing. First mentioned (as lavis, lauve) in 17th-century Bible translations. A family name Louvis is attested from the 16th century.

cog

лю́тый зверь


auns

auns (nominative singular)
auni (nominative plural)
auna (genitive singular)
aunu (genitive plural)
aunam (dative singular)
auniem (dative plural)
aunu (accusative singular)
aunus (accusative plural)
aunu (instrumental singular)
auniem (instrumental plural)
aunā (locative singular)
aunos (locative plural)
aun (singular vocative)
auni (plural vocative)

From Proto-Baltic *awinas, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃éwis (“sheep, ram”). Cognates include Lithuanian ãvinas, Old Prussian awins, Old Church Slavonic овьнъ (ovĭnŭ), Russian ове́н (ovén). These terms are formed from *h₃éwi-, originally a term for sheep in general (possibly derived from *ew-, *Hew- (“to dress”), i.e. “(animal) dressed (in wool)”), with a suffix *-in to distinguish male sheep. Other terms derived from *h₃éwi- include Old Church Slavonic овьца (ovĭca), Russian, Bulgarian овца (ovca), Belarusian аўца́ (aŭcá), аве́чка (avjéčka), Ukrainian вівца́ (vivcá), Czech ovce, Slovak ovca, Polish owca (“ewe”), Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌴𐌸𐌹 (awēþi, “herd of sheep”), Old High German ouwi, ou (“ewe”) (< *awī), Hittite ẖawi-, Sanskrit अविः (áviḥ), Ancient Greek οἶς (oîs), Latin ovis.

der

ragains auns

atšķirt, nošķirt aunus no avīm

to distinguish the rams from the ewes (i.e., the good from the bad, the innocent from the guilty)


bullis

bullis (nominative singular)
buļļi (nominative plural)
buļļa (genitive singular)
buļļu (genitive plural)
bullim (dative singular)
buļļiem (dative plural)
bulli (accusative singular)
buļļus (accusative plural)
bulli (instrumental singular)
buļļiem (instrumental plural)
bullī (locative singular)
buļļos (locative plural)
bulli (singular vocative)
buļļi (plural vocative)

tīršķirnes bullis

vaislas bullis

nikns kā bullis

very angry (literally, “fierce, wild as a bull,”)


trusis

trusis (nominative singular)
truši (nominative plural)
truša (genitive singular)
trušu (genitive plural)
trusim (dative singular)
trušiem (dative plural)
trusi (accusative singular)
trušus (accusative plural)
trusi (instrumental singular)
trušiem (instrumental plural)
trusī (locative singular)
trušos (locative plural)
trusi (singular vocative)
truši (plural vocative)

Borrowed from Belarusian трусь (trusʹ), or perhaps from Polish truś. This word is first mentioned in 17th-century dictionaries as truš, trušs, later (18th–19th centuries) in competition with other borrowings (kraliņš from Russian кролик (krolik) or kaninķenis, kaninķins from German Kaninchen). In the 19th century, the most frequent forms were trusis and trušis, also truše; only in the 20th century did the current form become dominant.

mājas trusis

savvaļas trusis

trušu vila

trušu āda

Oryctolagus cuniculus
Oryctolagus cuniculus#Translingual


gailis

gailis (nominative singular)
gaiļi (nominative plural)
gaiļa (genitive singular)
gaiļu (genitive plural)
gailim (dative singular)
gaiļiem (dative plural)
gaili (accusative singular)
gaiļus (accusative plural)
gaili (instrumental singular)
gaiļiem (instrumental plural)
gailī (locative singular)
gaiļos (locative plural)
gaili (singular vocative)
gaiļi (plural vocative)

From *gal-n-o, enlargement of *gl̥H-o, zero-grade of Proto-Indo-European *golH-so.
Cognates include Welsh galw (“call”), English call, Lithuanian gal̃sas (“echo”), Russian го́лос (gólos, “voice”), Polish głos (“voice”), Albanian gjuhë (“voice”)).

lielīgs kā gailis

gaiļa gadi

Gallus gallus
Gallus gallus#Translingual

rooster, cock (male domestic fowl, especially Gallus gallus)


vērsis

vērsis (nominative singular)
vērši (nominative plural)
vērša (genitive singular)
vēršu (genitive plural)
vērsim (dative singular)
vēršiem (dative plural)
vērsi (accusative singular)
vēršus (accusative plural)
vērsi (instrumental singular)
vēršiem (instrumental plural)
vērsī (locative singular)
vēršos (locative plural)
vērsi (singular vocative)
vērši (plural vocative)

From Proto-Indo-European *wers-, *wr̥s- (“male”). Cognates include Lithuanian ver̃šis (“calf; (dialectal) ox”), Old Prussian werstian (“calf”) (maybe *wersistian?), Sanskrit वृष (vṛṣa, “bull; male”), वृषन् (vṛṣan, “man; stallion, ox”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬥𐬌 (varšni, “ram”), Latin verrēs (“boar”).

cog

darba vērsis

vēršu pajūgs

vērša gaļa

vēršu cīņas

ox (male cattle, usually castrated, often used as a beast of burden)


zaķis

zaķis (nominative singular)
zaķi (nominative plural)
zaķa (genitive singular)
zaķu (genitive plural)
zaķim (dative singular)
zaķiem (dative plural)
zaķi (accusative singular)
zaķus (accusative plural)
zaķi (instrumental singular)
zaķiem (instrumental plural)
zaķī (locative singular)
zaķos (locative plural)
zaķi (singular vocative)
zaķi (plural vocative)

The origin of this word is unclear. Traditionally, it is explained as a borrowing from Belarusian dialectal за́йка (zájka), reshaped under the influence of kaķis (“cat”), but the similar Sudovian cognate makes this explanation dubious. It is difficult also to make it compatible with the Lithuanian and Slavic cognates. For the Slavic terms, there are various opinions, generally leading up to the Proto-Indo-European stem *ǵʰey- (“to drive, to exhort, to move quickly”). It is possible that the root of all those forms may be some pre-Indo-European word (*ǵa-, *ǵay-, *ǵuy-) to which Indo-European suffixes were attached. Cognates include Lithuanian dialectal zuĩkis, Sudovian zags, Old Church Slavonic заѩць (zajęcĭ), Russian, Belarusian за́яц (zájac), Ukrainian за́єць (zájecʹ), Czech zajíc, Polish zając.

pelēkais, baltais zaķis

bailīgs kā zaķis

nobijies kā zaķis

Lieldienu zaķis

Lepus europaeus
Lepus europaeus#Translingual


āzis

āzis (nominative singular)
āži (nominative plural)
āža (genitive singular)
āžu (genitive plural)
āzim (dative singular)
āžiem (dative plural)
āzi (accusative singular)
āžus (accusative plural)
āzi (instrumental singular)
āžiem (instrumental plural)
āzī (locative singular)
āžos (locative plural)
āzi (singular vocative)
āži (plural vocative)

From Proto-Baltic *āž-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂e(y)ǵ- (“goat”). Cognates include Lithuanian ožỹs, Old Prussian wosux (/vōzuks/), Proto-Slavic *azь (Russian язь (jazʹ) “ide (fish)” < “goat”), Sanskrit अज (ajá), Albanian dhi (< *a-dhi), Old Armenian այծ (ayc).

āža bārda, bārdiņa

tiepīgs kā āzis


teķis

teķis (nominative singular)
teķi (nominative plural)
teķa (genitive singular)
teķu (genitive plural)
teķim (dative singular)
teķiem (dative plural)
teķi (accusative singular)
teķus (accusative plural)
teķi (instrumental singular)
teķiem (instrumental plural)
teķī (locative singular)
teķos (locative plural)
teķi (singular vocative)
teķi (plural vocative)

vaislas teķis

male sheep, ram (especially one not castrated, used for reproduction).


kuilis

kuilis (nominative singular)
kuiļi (nominative plural)
kuiļa (genitive singular)
kuiļu (genitive plural)
kuilim (dative singular)
kuiļiem (dative plural)
kuili (accusative singular)
kuiļus (accusative plural)
kuili (instrumental singular)
kuiļiem (instrumental plural)
kuilī (locative singular)
kuiļos (locative plural)
kuili (singular vocative)
kuiļi (plural vocative)

meža kuilis

kuiļa gaļa


runcis

runcis (nominative singular)
runči (nominative plural)
runča (genitive singular)
runču (genitive plural)
runcim (dative singular)
runčiem (dative plural)
runci (accusative singular)
runčus (accusative plural)
runci (instrumental singular)
runčiem (instrumental plural)
runcī (locative singular)
runčos (locative plural)
runci (singular vocative)
runči (plural vocative)

The origin of this word is unclear. It is possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *rew-, *rū-, *ru- (“to run, to rush”), via a previous adjective *runs, *rūns, on the model of brūns (“brown”), bruncis (“brown, bay horse”) (a variant of brūnis). Others have suggested that runcis is related to runa (“talk”); yet others, to rūkt (“to growl; to roar”).

kad runča nav mājās, tad peles virs galda lēkā

when the tomcat is not home, the mice jump over the table


ērzelis

ērzelis (nominative singular)
ērzeļi (nominative plural)
ērzeļa (genitive singular)
ērzeļu (genitive plural)
ērzelim (dative singular)
ērzeļiem (dative plural)
ērzeli (accusative singular)
ērzeļus (accusative plural)
ērzeli (instrumental singular)
ērzeļiem (instrumental plural)
ērzelī (locative singular)
ērzeļos (locative plural)
ērzeli (singular vocative)
ērzeļi (plural vocative)

vaislas ērzelis

nemierīgs ērzelis

uncastrated male horse, stallion (esp. for reproduction)


tēviņš

tēviņš (nominative singular)
tēviņi (nominative plural)
tēviņa (genitive singular)
tēviņu (genitive plural)
tēviņam (dative singular)
tēviņiem (dative plural)
tēviņu (accusative singular)
tēviņus (accusative plural)
tēviņu (instrumental singular)
tēviņiem (instrumental plural)
tēviņā (locative singular)
tēviņos (locative plural)
tēviņ (singular vocative)
tēviņi (plural vocative)

From tēvs (“father”) + -iņš (“dim.”). At first a diminutive of “father” (uses as a term of endearment are attested in older texts); now only tētiņš can be used in this sense.

aitu tēviņš

pīļu tēviņš

bišu tēviņi

atšķirības starp tēviņiem un mātītēm

rupjš tēviņš

tu tur, tēviņ, beidz ālēties!

(chiefly in the singular) a human male, a man


tīģeris

tīģeris (nominative singular)
tīģeri (nominative plural)
tīģera (genitive singular)
tīģeru (genitive plural)
tīģerim (dative singular)
tīģeriem (dative plural)
tīģeri (accusative singular)
tīģerus (accusative plural)
tīģeri (instrumental singular)
tīģeriem (instrumental plural)
tīģerī (locative singular)
tīģeros (locative plural)
tīģeri (singular vocative)
tīģeri (plural vocative)

Via other European languages, ultimately borrowed from Latin tigris, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek τίγρις (tígris), possibly from Iranian.

tīģeru medības

tīģera āda

Bengālijas tīģeri

Panthera tigris
Panthera tigris#Translingual

(male, or generic) tiger (large striped wild cat, native to Asia; Panthera tigris)


stirnāzis

stirnāzis (nominative singular)
stirnāži (nominative plural)
stirnāža (genitive singular)
stirnāžu (genitive plural)
stirnāzim (dative singular)
stirnāžiem (dative plural)
stirnāzi (accusative singular)
stirnāžus (accusative plural)
stirnāzi (instrumental singular)
stirnāžiem (instrumental plural)
stirnāzī (locative singular)
stirnāžos (locative plural)
stirnāzi (singular vocative)
stirnāži (plural vocative)

From stirnu (“roe deer[gen.]”) + āzis (“buck”).

compound

stirnāzis dzenā kazu ap krūmu trakā ātrumā līdz galīgam pagurumam

the male roe deer drives the female around the bush at a crazy speed until she is tired (lit. to final tiredness)

Capreolus capreolus
Capreolus capreolus#Translingual