lāpsta

See also: lāpstā and lapstā

Latvian

Lāpstas (1)

Lāpsta (4)

Lāpsta (5)

Alternative forms

• (dialectal form) lāpusta

Etymology

Derived from Latvian dialectal lāpa (“paw”) (q.v.) (cf. Lithuanian lópa, Russian ла́па (lápa)) with a vowel and a suffix -stā (cf. dialectal variant lāpusta). Ultimately from the same stem as lapa (“leaf”) (q.v.). The original meaning of lāpsta was probably “paw, foot, sole”, from which “instrument for digging (like a paw, foot, sole)”. (Another possibility: from the original stem *lep- (“to bark; to rip off, to tear”) a noun could be formed with the meaning “(cut off) plate”; cf. Albanian latë (“small ax, hoe, spud”) < *laptā). Cognates include Lithuanian lópeta, Old Prussian lopto, Proto-Slavic *lopata (Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian лопа́та (lopáta), Czech lopata, Polish łopata, Russian dialectal ла́пость (lápostʹ) “track, footprints”), Hittite [script needed] (lappa, “on shovels”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lâːpsta]

• Audio:

  (file)

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 unhindered on a path of manure for the entire length 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

Declension of lāpsta (4th declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	lāpsta	lāpstas
genitive	lāpstas	lāpstu
dative	lāpstai	lāpstām
accusative	lāpstu	lāpstas
instrumental	lāpstu	lāpstām
locative	lāpstā	lāpstās
vocative	lāpsta	lāpstas

Synonyms

• (of "horn structure"): lāpstiņa

Derived terms

• lāpstiņa