Latvian

Lāpstas (1)

Lāpsta (4)

Lāpsta (5)

Alternative forms

• (dialectal form) lāpusta

Noun

lāpsta f (4th declension)

1. shovel, spade (a tool for digging with a metal blade and a long handle)

   koka, dzelzs lāpsta‎ ― wooden, iron shovel

   asa lāpsta‎ ― sharp shovel

   sniega, ogļu lāpsta‎ ― snow, coal shovel

   dārza lāpsta‎ ― garden spade

   iedurt lāpstu zemē‎ ― to stick, push the shovel in(to) the ground

   Žuburs uzmina ar kāju lāpstas malai, nolieca lāpstas kātu kā sviru uz leju un atlauza kūdras gabalu‎ ― Žuburs pushed the shovel edge with (his) foot, pulled the shovel handle down like a lever and broke off a piece of turf

2. spadeful, shovelful (the amount that can be moved with a spade, a shovel)

   ieslodītie izsvieda no kapa pēdējās sārto smilšu lāpstas‎ ― the prisoners dug from the grave the last shovel(ful)s of reddish sand

   Vecais Černs kanāla dibenā neatlaidīgi rakās uz priekšu un lāpstu pēc lāpstas meta ārā zemi‎ ― the old Černs dug forward (= a tunnel) at the bottom of the canal and threw out shovel(ful) after shovel(ful) of earth

3. blade (a part of certain machines that resembles the blade of a shovel)

   traktors ar lāpstu varēs netraucēti braukt pa mēslu eju visā kūts garumā‎ ― a tractor with a blade will be able to run smoothly on a path of mature in the legnth of a whole barn

4. blade (the flat end of an oar or paddle)
5. a flat, wide, shovel-like horn structure (e.g., on an elk)

   šodien sastopam daudz buļļu, kuru ragi lāpstas nemaz neveido; šie aļņi ir tā sauktie apaļradži‎ ― we find nowadays many (elk) bulls whose antlers do not form shovels at all; these elk are the so-called round-horns

Declension

Synonyms

• (of "horn structure"): lāpstiņa

Derived terms

• lāpstiņa

References

1. ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “lāpsta”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, ISBN 9984-700-12-7