лавшо

Erzya

Etymology

From Proto-Mordvinic *lavčə, possibly from Proto-Finno-Permic [Finno-Volgaic] *lawča (“tender, soft, loose”). Potential cognates include Finnish lauha (“mild, temperate”), Estonian lahva.

Alternatively, related to Finnish laiha (“thin, lean, weak”) (see there for more).

Adjective

лавшо • (lavšo)

1. weak

   лавшо мастор ― lavšo mastor ― a weak country

   • 1865, Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann, Das Evangelium des Matthäus ersamordwinisch, page 102:

     Iľado udo, i oznodo, iľazado sova bedas; oimeś viev no telaś lavšo.

     Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

2. limp, powerless
3. dull

References

• B. A. Serebrennikov, R. N. Buzakova, M. V. Mosin (1993) “лавшо”, in Эрзянь-рузонь валкс, Moscow: Русский язык, →ISBN
• Entry #1365 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.