siekalas

See also: siekalās

Latvian

Siekalas

Etymology

From the same stem as slieka (earthworm) (q.v.), with dissimilation (*sliekalas > siekalas); note dialectal forms like sliekas (saliva). The synonymous word slienas comes also from the same stem, but with an extra n instead of an extra k.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [sīɛ̄kalas]

Noun

siekalas f (4th declension)

  1. (usually in the plural) saliva (secretions of the glands in the mouth)
    siekalu dziedzerisalivary glands
    siekalu pilienisaliva drops
    siekalas saskrien mutēsaliva is flowing to (one's) mouth
    izspļaut siekalasto spit out saliva
    siekalas teksaliva is flowing (= one wants something very much)
    siekalas samitrina sauso uzturu un noskalo no mutes gļotādas kaitīgās un liekās vielassaliva moistens the dry food and washes away harmful substances from the mouth surface

Usage notes

A nominative singular form siekala exists but is only sporadically attested.

Declension

Synonyms

  • siekaļot, siekaļoties

References

  1. Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), siekalas”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.