meklēt
Latvian
Etymology
The origin of this word is not clear. Some researchers link it to Latvian mācēt (“to know how, to be able to”), Russian dialectal намо́кнуть (namóknutʹ, “to become accustomed”), Polish dialectal makać (“to touch, to hit”), maklać, makłać (“to touch”). Others suggest that meklēt comes from Proto-Indo-European *mē- (“to measure”), via Proto-Baltic *met-l- (cf. mest (“to throw”) > *met-ti < *mē-) > mekl-. A third idea is that meklēt is related to dialectal terms for “digging”, like meknīt, mekņīt “to dig (in a thick mass)”, meksēt, mekšēt, mekšķēt (“to dig; to eat with appetite”). If originally the stem is supposed to have meant “to dig (into a thick mass)”, then it would be possible to derive meklēt from Proto-Indo-European *mak-, *māk- (“wet”), leading to an older verb *mekt, of which meklēt would originally have been the iterative form; the semantic evolution would have been “thick, wet substance” > “to dig into a thick, wet substance” > “to search for something (in a thick, wet substance)” > “to search, to look for”. Cognates include Lithuanian mė́klinti (“to suspect; to mention; to recall; to think; to consider, to ponder”), Russian dialectal ме́кать, мека́ть (mékatʹ, mekátʹ, “to think, to believe, to know, to sense, to hope for”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [mɛklɛ̂ːt]
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Verb
meklēt (tr., 2nd conj., pres. meklēju, meklē, meklē, past meklēju)
- to search for, to look for (something or someone lost, hidden, etc.)
- meklēt pazaudētos cimdus ― to look for the lost gloves
- meklēt kabatās atslēgus ― to look for the keys in (one's) pockets
- meklēt atvilktnē dokumentu ― to look for a document in the drawer
- meklēt karā pazudušos vecākus ― to look for parents who disappeared during the war
- galvu noliecis, viņš meklē naudu ― having bowed (his) head, he is looking for the money
- viņa rosījās pa istabu, meklēdama kādu šķīvi un nazi ar dakšiņu ― she was busy all around the room, looking for a plate with a fork and knife
- to search for, to look for (to try to perceive or discern something)
- meklēt zvēru pēdas ― to look for animal trails, footprints
- meklēt pieeju upei ― to look for an access to the river
- meklēt ceļu uz ezeru ― to look for the road to the lake
- viņš steidzās meklēt Tīrumu ielu ― he hastened to look for Tīrumu street
- viņi meklē pa īsviļņiem kuģu sasaukšanos dažādās nesaprotamās valodās ― they looked for ship hails in several unknown languages on shortwaves
- to search for, to look for (to try to find by researching, analyzing)
- meklēt naftas atradnes ― to search for oil fields
- diamanti tika meklēti arī citur: Kolas pussalā, Jeņisejas baseinā ― (they) searched for diamonds also elsewhere: in the Kola pensinsula, in the Yenissey basin
- (of errors, mistakes) to search for, to look for, to check for
- meklēt brāķi ― to look for a defective item
- meklēt tekstā iespiedkļūdas ― to look for typographical errors in a text
- to search for, to look for (to try to find or obtain something that one needs or wants)
- meklēt darbu ― to look for work, a job
- meklēt aizņēmumu ― to look for a loan
- meklēt veikalos uzvalkam drānu ― to look in the shops for cloth for a suit
- rajona kolhozi meklē daudzgadīgo zāļu sēklas ― the local collective farm is looking for seeds of perennial plants
- to look for, to try to meet (someone), to try to find (someone, e.g., for a job)
- meklēt palīgu ― to look for help (= a helper, an assistant)
- meklēt darbiniekus ― to look for employees
- “paklausies, Arvīd!” Baltābols pienāca: “kāds vīrs tevi meklē; bijis pie tevis jau mājā” ― “listen, Arvid!” Baltābols came (to him): “some guy is looking for you; he has already been to your house”
- to look for, to seek (to try to be in a certain situation, to have a certain emotion)
- meklēt prieku ― to seek pleasure
- meklēt mierinājumu ― to seek comfort, solace, consolation
- meklēt brīvu brīdi ― to look for a free moment
- vecais pārlaida skatu visapkārt, it kā meklēdams palīdzību ― the old man looked all around, as if seeking help
- to look for, to search for (to try to obtain some information, to think of something, to create something new in one's mind)
- meklēt pierādījumus ― to look for evidence
- meklēt problēmas atrisinājumu ― to look for a solution to a problem
- meklēt jaunas darba metodes ― to look for new ways of working
- meklēt izeju no situācijas ― to look for a way out of the situation
- meklēt vārdus ― to look for words (= to try to say something appropriate)
- institūta ļaudis meklē vislabākos variantus ― the institute people are looking for the best options
Conjugation
INDICATIVE (īstenības izteiksme) | IMPERATIVE (pavēles izteiksme) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Present (tagadne) | Past (pagātne) | Future (nākotne) | |||
1st pers. sg. | es | meklēju | meklēju | meklēšu | — |
2nd pers. sg. | tu | meklē | meklēji | meklēsi | meklē |
3rd pers. sg. | viņš, viņa | meklē | meklēja | meklēs | lai meklē |
1st pers. pl. | mēs | meklējam | meklējām | meklēsim | meklēsim |
2nd pers. pl. | jūs | meklējat | meklējāt | meklēsiet, meklēsit | meklējiet |
3rd pers. pl. | viņi, viņas | meklē | meklēja | meklēs | lai meklē |
RENARRATIVE (atstāstījuma izteiksme) | PARTICIPLES (divdabji) | ||||
Present | meklējot | Present Active 1 (Adj.) | meklējošs | ||
Past | esot meklējis | Present Active 2 (Adv.) | meklēdams | ||
Future | meklēšot | Present Active 3 (Adv.) | meklējot | ||
Imperative | lai meklējot | Present Active 4 (Obj.) | meklējam | ||
CONDITIONAL (vēlējuma izteiksme) | Past Active | meklējis | |||
Present | meklētu | Present Passive | meklējams | ||
Past | būtu meklējis | Past Passive | meklēts | ||
DEBITIVE (vajadzības izteiksme) | NOMINAL FORMS | ||||
Indicative | (būt) jāmeklē | Infinitive (nenoteiksme) | meklēt | ||
Conjunctive 1 | esot jāmeklē | Negative Infinitive | nemeklēt | ||
Conjunctive 2 | jāmeklējot | Verbal noun | meklēšana |
Derived terms
- prefixed verbs:
- apmeklēt
- izmeklēt
- nomeklēt
- pameklēt
- pārmeklēt
- piemeklēt
- sameklēt
- uzmeklēt
- other derived terms:
- meklējums
- meklētājs, meklētāja
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “meklēt”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN