kurpe

From Proto-Baltic *kurp- (+ feminine ending -e), from the zero grade *kr̥p- of Proto-Indo-European *kerp- (“piece of leather; shoe”), from the stem *ker- (“to cut”) (whence also cirpt (“to shear, to clip”), q.v.) with an extra p. Semantic evolution: “to cut” > “a cut piece of leather” > “shoe (made of leather)” > “shoe.” Cognates include Lithuanian kùrpė (“shoe, half-boot, slipper; foot (measure of length)”), Old Prussian kurpe (“shoe”), Russian dialectal корпать (korpát’, “to mend clothes”), Bulgarian кърпа (kǎrpa, “rag, cloth, patch”), Serbo-Croatian kȑpa (“patch, piece of cloth”), kȑplje (“old shoes, skis”), Old Irish cairem (“cobbler”) (< *carpjamos), Ancient Greek καρβάτινος (karbátinos, “made of leather”), καρβάτιναι (karbátinai, “rawhide shoes”), καρπάτινον (karpátinon, “simple shoe made of one piece of leather”).[1]

• IPA^(key): [kūɾpɛ]
• IPA^(key): [kûɾpɛ]

kurpe f (5th declension)

1. (usually in the plural) shoes (footwear made of strong, rigid material (e.g., leather) with heels and hard soles, covering the foot but not higher than the ankle)

   vīriešu vasaras kurpes ― men's summer shoes

   sieviešu ielas kurpes ― women's street shoes

   augstpapēžu kurpes ― high-heeled shoes

   rīta kurpes ― slippers (lit. morning shoes)

   kurpes ar sprādzi ― shoes with a buckle

   'kurpju auklas ― shoe laces

   spodrināt kurpes ― to polish shoes

   novilkt kurpes ― to take off (one's) shoes

   baleta kurpes ― ballet shoes

   Kumuru ciema kurpniekam Mednītim nācās taisīt vairākus pārus kurpju ― Mednītis, the shoemaker of the village of Kumuru, had to make several pairs of shoes

2. (technology) a component part which supports something else

   balsta iekšējā kurpe ― supporting internal shoe

Level intonation is the standard intonation for the term kurpe (“shoe”) according to Latviešu etimoloģijas vārdnīca, pronunciation with a broken intonation is very common, however.

• kurpnieks, kurpniece

• apavs