skudra

See also: skudrā

Latvian

Skudra

Alternative forms

• (dialectal forms) skudre, skudrs

Etymology

This word has the same origin as the verb skaust (“to envy, to (be)grudge”) (q.v.) and the adjective skaudrs (“sharp, acute, biting”): the Proto-Indo-European stem *skaud-, *skud- (with an extra -r, yielding Proto-Baltic *skudr-). The original meaning was therefore “that which cuts, pierces, bites.” Cognates include Lithuanian skudrùs (“quick, crafty; sharp, cutting”).

Noun

skudra m

1. (dialectal) genitive singular of skudrs

skudra f (4th declension)

1. ant (many species of insects from the family Formicidae, usually forming big colonies)

   melnā skudra ― black ant

   lielā dzeltenā skudra ― big yellow ant

   sarkanās, rūsganās skudras ― red, rusty ants

   meža skudras ― forest ants

   skudru pūznis ― anthill

   skudru oliņas ― ant eggs

   skudru spirts ― ant alcohol (a solution of formic acid in ethanol)

   čakls kā skudra ― industrious as an ant

Declension

Declension of skudra (4th declension)

	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	skudra	skudras
accusative (akuzatīvs)	skudru	skudras
genitive (ģenitīvs)	skudras	skudru
dative (datīvs)	skudrai	skudrām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	skudru	skudrām
locative (lokatīvs)	skudrā	skudrās
vocative (vokatīvs)	skudra	skudras