vecāki
Latvian
Etymology
The term vecāki (“parents”) constitutes a nominalized use of the comparative plural form of the adjective vecs (“old”) and a calque of German Eltern (“parents”). In previous centuries it was also used in the sense of “ancient ones,” “ancestors,” “elders,” “wise ones;” in the 20th century, its meaning had become restricted to “parents.” Previously, combinations like tēvs un māte “father and mother” or tēvs māmiņa (lit. “father-mommy”).[1]
Adjective
vecāki
- nominative plural masculine form of vecāks
Noun
vecāki m (1st declension)
- (of people) parents (someone's father and mother)
- vecāku mīlestība ― parents' love, parental love
- vecāku tiesības ― parental rights
- mani vecāki bija apprecējušies normālā vecumā ― my parents had married at the normal age
- (biology) parent, parental (an organism which has created other organisms)
- jaunie organismi atšķiras no vecākiem ― young, new organisms differ from (their) parents
- bedzimumvairošanās procesā piedalās tikai viens vecāku organisms, no kura somatiskajām šūnām vai atsevišķām daļām veidojas divi vai vairāki jauni organismi ― in the process of asexual reproduction, only one parental organism participates, from whose somatic cells or separate parts two or more new organisms are formed
Declension
Declension of vecāki (1st declension)
| singular (vienskaitlis) | plural (daudzskaitlis) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative (nominatīvs) | — | vecāki |
| accusative (akuzatīvs) | — | vecākus |
| genitive (ģenitīvs) | — | vecāku |
| dative (datīvs) | — | vecākiem |
| instrumental (instrumentālis) | — | vecākiem |
| locative (lokatīvs) | — | vecākos |
| vocative (vokatīvs) | — | vecāki |
References
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “vecāki”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN