kalps

Latvian

Kalpi (1)

Pīķa kalps (3)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old East Slavic холпь (xolpĭ, “serf, slave”) (cf. Russian холоп (xolop)), itself a borrowing from Turkic (or, according to some researchers, a native word, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kel-, *skel- “offshoot, seedlings, stem”). The borrowing must have happened by the 13th century at the latest; the first mentions of this word are in 17th-century dictionaries.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kālps]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

kalps m (1st declension, feminine form: kalpone)

1. farmhand, farm laborer, servant (a paid worker in a farm)

   strādāt par kalpu ― to work as a farmhand

   muižas kalpi ― the mannor's laborers

   pieņemt, atlaist, algot kalpus ― to accept, to dismiss, to hire servants

   kalpu klēts ― the servants' barn (= house)

   kalpa ļaudis ― farm workers (lit. farmhand people)

   kāds kungs, tāds kalps ― like lord, like servant (folk saying)

   kalpi bija laukstrādnieki, kas salīguši strādāt pie saimniekiem par algu (graudā, vēlāk arī daļēji naudā) ― farmhands were rural workers who were hired to work for a farmer for wages (paid in grain, later also partially in money)

2. (figuratively) servant (a person who works for some interest or cause)

   deputāts ir tautas kalps ― a congressman is a servant of the people

   dieva kalps ― a servant of god (e.g., a priest)

   tumsas kalpi ― servants of darkness

3. (card games) jack, knave (the card between 10 and queen, with the image of a young man)

   pīķa kalps ― the jack of spades

   kapteinis sāka dalīt kārtis, un Vilks izklaidīgi ņēma tās pretī... tur bija viens kalps un trīs dāmas ― the captain began to deal the cards, and Vilks distractedly took them... there were one jack and three queens

Declension

Declension of kalps (1st declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	kalps	kalpi
genitive	kalpa	kalpu
dative	kalpam	kalpiem
accusative	kalpu	kalpus
instrumental	kalpu	kalpiem
locative	kalpā	kalpos
vocative	kalp	kalpi

Related terms

• kalpot