svabads

Latvian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old East Slavic свободь (svobodĭ) (compare Russian свобо́да (svobóda, “freedom”)), first mentioned in 16th-century texts.

A minority opinion is that it might actually be a native Baltic word, perhaps from the same source as the verb atsvabināt (“to free, to release”) and thus from the same Proto-Balto-Slavic form as the Slavic counterpart, i.e. *swabadas.

Adjective

svabads (definite svabadais, comparative svabadāks, superlative vissvabadākais, adverb svabadi)

1. (dated, now usually brīvs) free (not in (political, economical, juridical, social) dependence)

   mūsu vectēvs stāstīja, ka vecvecos laikos mūsu tauta, zemnieki, bijusi svabada ― our grandfather told us that in the olden days our people, farmers, were free

2. (dated, now usually brīvs) free (not constrained by obligations, duties, worries)

   pēc kartupeļiem visu vakaru esmu atkal svabads ― after (peeling) the potatoes I will be again free all evening

3. (dated, now usually brīvs) free (not prohibited or limited, happening without hindrance, comfortable)

   svabada rīcība ― free action

   pasažieru vairums bija kāda būvbrigāde, kura izkāpa Ugālē, un autobusā kļuva pavisam svabadi ― most of the passengers were (part of) a builders' brigade which got off at Ugāle, and the bus became completely free

4. (dated, now usually brīvs) free, open, natural, not artificial

   viegli un svabadi Daugavas viļņi ― the light and free waves of the Daugava (river)

5. (dated, now usually brīvs) free (not taken, not occupied)

   viņi nosēdās uz vēl svabadā sola pašā priekšā ― they sat on a still free bench at the front

   svabads laiks ― free time

6. (dated, now usually brīvs) free, loose, untied

   aizeju pie zirga un palaižu viņa glavas pavadu svabadāk ― I go to the horse and let his head freer (from the reins)

7. (dated) tired, weak, without strength

   saules karstumā sienu pļaudams, viņš palicis gluži svabads ― cutting hay under the heat of the sun, he became quite tired, weak

Declension

indefinite declension (nenoteiktā galotne) of svabads

	masculine (vīriešu dzimte)			feminine (sieviešu dzimte)
	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)		singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	svabads	svabadi		svabada	svabadas
accusative (akuzatīvs)	svabadu	svabadus		svabadu	svabadas
genitive (ģenitīvs)	svabada	svabadu		svabadas	svabadu
dative (datīvs)	svabadam	svabadiem		svabadai	svabadām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	svabadu	svabadiem		svabadu	svabadām
locative (lokatīvs)	svabadā	svabados		svabadā	svabadās
vocative (vokatīvs)	—	—		—	—

Synonyms

• brīvs

Derived terms

• atsvabināt
• svabadība