mežs
Latgalian
Etymology
From Proto-Baltic *medya-s and *medis (genitive *meža, also yielding *meža-s by analogy), from Proto-Indo-European *medʰi-, *medʰyo- (“middle; in-between”).
Latvian
![](../I/m/Forest_in_Sigulda_Latvia.jpg)
Etymology
From earlier *mežas, from parallel forms Proto-Baltic *medya-s and *medis (genitive *meža, also yielding *meža-s by analogy), from Proto-Indo-European *medʰi-, *medʰyo- (“middle; in-between”). The original meaning was “(that which is) in the middle, in-between” > “forest” (since long ago villages were like little islands between stretches of forest, “what is between (villages)” = “forest”). Cognates include Lithuanian mẽdis (“tree, wood”), dialectal mẽdžias (“tree, forest”), Old Prussian median (“forest”), Sudovian mejdo (“tree”) (< *mēdo), Proto-Slavic *medya, *medyu (Russian межа́ (mežá, “balk, unplowed strip of land; border; (dial.) little forest”), ме́жду (méždu, “between, in-between”), Belarusian, Ukrainian межа́ (mežá, “balk; border; line”), Bulgarian межда́ (meždá), Czech mez, Polish miedza (“balk; border”)), Old Irish mide (“middle”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌹𐍃 (midjis), Old High German mitti, German Mitte, English middle, Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos), Latin medius. [1]
Pronunciation
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Noun
mežs m (1st declension)
- forest (dense collection of trees and bushes on a stretch of land)
- priežu, egļu mežs ― pine, fir forest
- stādīt mežu ― to plant a forest
- meža zemenes ― forest (= wild) strawberries
- meža zvēri ― forest (= wild) animals
- meža fauna, flora ― forest fauna, flora
- meža pļava ― forest meadow
- meža klajums ― forest clearing
- meža cirtējs, mežcirtējs ― logger (lit. forest chopper)
- meža ugunsgrēks ― forest fire
- meža aizsardzība ― forest protection
- mežā aug koki, krūmi un zem tiem dažādi sīki augi ― in the forest trees and bushes grow, and under them (also) several (kinds of) small plants
Declension
Related terms
- medīt
- mednis
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “mežs”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN