skolnieks

From skola (“school”) +‎ -nieks. Some 18th-century authors used skolnieks in the past to mean “teacher” (now skolotājs), but this usage never became popular. Also in the current sense of “schoolboy,” it is attested from the 18th century on, in parallel with its synonym skolēns, having mostly replaced in this sense earlier expressions like skolas bērns (lit. “school child”) and māceklis (nowadays “apprentice”).[1]

skolnieks m (1st declension, feminine form: skolniece)

1. schoolboy, (male) pupil, (male) student

   čakls skolnieks ― hard-working student

   astoņgadīgas skolas skolnieks ― eighth-year student

   trešās klases skolnieks ― third-class student, third-grader

   zēns bija ļoti centīgs skolnieks un nekad nenovēloja pirmo stundu ― the boy was a very diligent student and was never late for the first class

2. student (person who studies something, especially with a famous teacher)

   Pavlovam nekad netrūka skolnieku: viņa mazo laboratoriju apmeklēja ārsti, kas interesējās par fizioloģiju... daudzi no viņa skolniekiem pēc tam kļuva ievērojami fiziologi vai ārsti ― Pavlov never lacked students: doctors who were interested in physiology came to his small laboratory... many of his students later became notable physilogists or (medical) doctors

   J. G. Mītels bija viens no pēdējiem J. S. Baha skolniekiem Leipcigā, mācījās pie viņa kompozīciju, klavieru un ērģeļu spēli ― J. G. Mietel was one of J. S. Bach's last students in Leipzig, he studied composition, piano and organ with him (= with J. S. Bach)

• skolēns
• skolot, skolotājs, skolotāja