mākonis
Latvian
Mākoņi
Etymology
Either from the verb mākties (“to become cloudy”) (q.v.) or from an earlier, 17th-century adjective mākons (“foggy, cloudy”). In the 18th century, mākonis still meant “(thunder)storm,” “rain cloud,” with debess being used for “cloud.” The present meaning became established in the 19th century.[1]
Noun
mākonis m (2nd declension)
- (chiefly in the plural) cloud (visible mass of water vapor or droplets suspended in the air)
- lietus, negaisa mākonis ― rain, storm cloud
- splavu, gubu mākoņi ― cirrus, cumulus clouds
- mākoņi sabiezē ― the clouds thickened
- debesis bez mākoņiem ― cloudless sky
- mākoņi aizsedz sauli ― the clouds obscure the sun
- lidmašīna paceļas virs mākoņiem ― the airplane takes off into the clouds
- (chiefly in the plural) cloud (a cloud-like phenomenon, spreading in the air)
- dūmu mākonis ― smoke cloud
- sacelt putekļu mākonis ― to raise a dust cloud
Usage notes
Although the singular forms still exist, the plural forms (mākoņi, etc.) are much more frequently used.
Declension
Declension of mākonis (2nd declension)
| singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative (nominatīvs) | mākonis | mākoņi |
| accusative (akuzatīvs) | mākoni | mākoņus |
| genitive (ģenitīvs) | mākoņa | mākoņu |
| dative (datīvs) | mākonim | mākoņiem |
| instrumental (instrumentālis) | mākoni | mākoņiem |
| locative (lokatīvs) | mākonī | mākoņos |
| vocative (vokatīvs) | mākoni | mākoņi |
Derived terms
- mākoņains
- gubu mākonis, gubumākonis
- spalvu mākonis, spalvmākonis
See also
- debess
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “mākties”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN