skumt

The origin of this word is unclear. One possibility is that it a form of the dialectal verb kumt “to bend, to stoop,” from Proto-Indo-European *kew-, *ku- “to swell, to bend” with an extra -m. The initial s would result from variation, as in the case of kumšķis ~ skumšķis (q.v.). The original meaning would thus have been “to bend, to stoop,” presumably from sadness, distress, depression (note the use of the prefix no- in the perfective noskumt; originally, no- denoted upward motion). Another hypothesis suggests a connection with the idea of “dark” or “darkening,” deriving skumt from Proto-Indo-European *kew- “to cover,” from which also Norwegian skume “dark,” Old Norse skūmi “twilight.”[1]

• IPA^(key): [skùmt]

skumt intr., 1st conj., pres. skumstu, skumsti, skumst, past skumu

1. to be, become sad, to sadden, to feel sadness, sorrow, to grieve

   skumt par neveiksmēm ― to be sad about a failure

   un tomēr viņš gaidīja pavasari un skuma, ka ziema ir tik gara un barga ― and yet he waited for spring and was sad about winter being so long and harsh

   patiesību sakot, viņš daudz neskuma par Ēvalda aiziešanu ― truth be told, he wasn't really sad about Ēvalds' departure

   dārznieks skuma pēc sava mīļotā dēla un raudāja žēlas asaras ― the gardener grieved for his beloved son and cried sorrowful tears

   vientuļa, tukša skumst pamestā māja, / dūmenī vēji tik pusnaktīs gaudo ― lonely, empty, the abandoned house is sad, / the winds in the chimney howl at midnight

• bēdāt, bēdāties
• nomākt

prefixed verbs:

• skumdēt, skumdināt
• skumīgs, skumīgums, skumība
• skumjas
• skumjš, skumjums

skumt

1. absolute indefinite neuter form of skum.