zaldāts

Latvian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Soldat, itself a borrowing from Italian soldato, from Vulgar Latin solidatus (“salaried (soldier)”). The word was borrowed into German in the first half of the 16th century, and into Latvian probably between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. Its first mentions are in 17th-century sources.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [zāldāːts]

Noun

zaldāts m (1st declension)

1. (dated) soldier (especially in the czar's or in the German army)

   (aiz)iet zaldātos ― to start military service (lit. to go to the soldiers)

   noņemt zaldātos ― to recruit (lit. to take into the soldiers' )

   zaldātu nauda ― soldier's money (historically, money paid to escape military duty)

   stāt kā zaldāts ― to stand like a soldier (i.e., perfectly upright)

   vecs Pirmā pasaules kara zaldāts ― an old World War I soldier

Usage notes

The words karavīrs and kareivis have mostly replaced zaldāts in contemporary usage.

Declension

Declension of zaldāts (1st declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	zaldāts	zaldāti
genitive	zaldāta	zaldātu
dative	zaldātam	zaldātiem
accusative	zaldātu	zaldātus
instrumental	zaldātu	zaldātiem
locative	zaldātā	zaldātos
vocative	zaldāt	zaldāti

Synonyms

• karavīrs
• kareivis