strādnieks
Latvian
Etymology
Probably from strād(āt) (“to work”) + -nieks. It is also possible that it was derived from an older (and still dialectally attested) noun strāda (“harvest time”), probably a borrowing from Russian dialectal time of heavy (farm) work; heavy (farm) work. Originally the meaning of strādnieks was “one who works well, hard,” and referred mostly to farm work. The current meaning “worker (in general)” started in the mid-19th century, especially in writings published in the newspaper “Peterburgas Avīze.”[1]
Noun
strādnieks m (1st declension, feminine form: strādniece)
- (male) worker, workman, laborer (a man, person who with his or her work produces something material or cultural)
- čakls strādnieks ― hard-working laborer
- teicams strādnieks ― excellent worker
- garīga darba strādnieks ― clerical worker
- vairums iedzīvotāju bija vienkārši gadījuma strādnieki, kas dzīvoja, tā sakot, no rokas mutē ― the majority of the inhabitants were simply casual laborers, workers, who lived, so to speak, from hand to mouth
- (male) worker, workman (a man, person who, under a contract of employment, works (e.g., in industry), usually directly in contact with the object being produced)
- strādnieku šķira ― working (lit. workers') class
- strādnieku meistarības konkurss ― workers' skills competition
- strādnieku ciemats ― workers' village
- Māra nāca no vienkāršas strādnieku ģimenes ― Māra came from a simple worker family
Declension
Declension of strādnieks (1st declension)
| singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative (nominatīvs) | strādnieks | strādnieki |
| accusative (akuzatīvs) | strādnieku | strādniekus |
| genitive (ģenitīvs) | strādnieka | strādnieku |
| dative (datīvs) | strādniekam | strādniekiem |
| instrumental (instrumentālis) | strādnieku | strādniekiem |
| locative (lokatīvs) | strādniekā | strādniekos |
| vocative (vokatīvs) | strādniek | strādnieki |
Related terms
- strādāt
- strādīgs, strādīgums
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “strādāt”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN