sermulis
Latvian
Sermulis (vasarā)
Sermulis (ziemā)
Alternative forms
- (dialectal form) sermuls
Etymology
From *serm- + -ulis, from Proto-Baltic *šerm-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“gray color”) with an extra -m (whence also Latvian sirms (“gray”), q.v.). Cognates include Lithuanian šarmuõ, šermuõ, šermuonė̃lis, Old High German harmo, German Hermelin.[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [sæ̂ɾmulis]
Noun
sermulis m (2nd declension)
- stoat, ermine (a mustelid species of the weasel family, Mustela erminea, whose fur becomes completely white in winter)
- sermuļa āda, sermuļāda ― ermine fur
- sermuļa apkakle ― ermine (fur) collar
- sermulis ir ļoti derīgs dzīvnieks, jo iznīcina daudz peļu ― the stoat is a very useful animal, because it kills many mice
- sermulis medī žurkas, ūdensžurkas, peles, sīkos putnus, uzbrūk pat irbēm un zaķiem ― the stoat hunts rats, water rats, mice, little birds, attacking even partridges and hares
Declension
Declension of sermulis (2nd declension)
| singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative (nominatīvs) | sermulis | sermuļi |
| accusative (akuzatīvs) | sermuli | sermuļus |
| genitive (ģenitīvs) | sermuļa | sermuļu |
| dative (datīvs) | sermulim | sermuļiem |
| instrumental (instrumentālis) | sermuli | sermuļiem |
| locative (lokatīvs) | sermulī | sermuļos |
| vocative (vokatīvs) | sermuli | sermuļi |
Derived terms
- sermuļāda, sermuļa āda
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “sermulis”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN