balss

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *balsas, from the o-grade of Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰol- (to sound, to speak, to roar, to bark), with an extra suffix -so (*bʰol-so-s). Cognates include Lithuanian bal̃sas, Russian болтать (boltatʹ, to chat, to chatter), dialectal балдить (balditʹ, to often repeat the same thing), Old High German bellan, German bellen (to bark), Middle Low German bulderen, German poltern (to rumble; to speak loud).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [bàls]
(file)

Noun

balss f (6th declension)

  1. (anatomy) voice (sound produced by the human respiratory tract for speaking, singing, etc.)
    spēcīga balssstrong voice
    balss trīc, drebthe voice trembles
    balss tembrs, spēks, augstumsvoice timbre, power, pitch
    balss aparātsspeech (lit. voice) organs
    balss saitesvocal cords
    lasīt balsīto read out loud (lit. to read in voice)
    pacelt, raudāt balsito lower, to raise one's voice
  2. voice, intonation (how a person's voice sounds, expressing or revealing mental states)
    priecīga, skumja balsshappy, sad voice
    dusmīga, mierīga, vienaldzīga balssangry, calm, indifferent voice
  3. voice (someone who cannot be seen but can be heard)
    kadā balss ierunājās aiz mugurassome voice spoke behind (his) back
  4. voice (metaphorical means of communicating feelings, mental states)
    zemes balssthe voice of the earth
    sirds balssthe voice of one's heart
  5. voice (capacity for singing)
    augsta, zema balsshigh, low (pitched) voice
    dziedātāja balssa singer's voice
    balss diapazonsvoice range
  6. (polyphonic music) voice (single melodic line)
    augšējā balssthe upper voice
    pastāvīga balssconstant voice
    balsu kustībavoice movement
    dziedāt pirmo balsito sing the first voice
    dziesma divām balsīma song for two voices
  7. voice (sounds and calls produced by animals)
    putnu balsisbird songs
    lakstīgalas balssnightingale's voice
  8. voice (sound produced by natural phenomena or objects)
    vēja balssthe voice of the wind
  9. voice (general thoughts, beliefs, of a group of people)
    tautas balssthe voice of the people
    sabiedrības balssthe voice of society, public voice
  10. voice (expression of a mental state)
    naida balssthe voice of hate
    cilvēcības balssthe voice of humanity
  11. voice (capacity or opportunity to express one's opinion)
    tauta, kam bija atņemta sava balssa people who had been deprived of their voice
  12. vote (citizen's will, expressed in an election, a referendum)
    nodot, atdot, dot (savu) balsito give one's vote, to vote
  13. vote (opinion, to be counted, expressed in a debate or discussion)
    izšķirt jautājumu ar balsu vairākumuto settle the question by majority vote
    absolūtais balsu vairākumsabsolute voting majority

Declension

Derived terms

References

  1. Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), balss”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
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