sviests

== Latvian == === Etymology === Originally the (adjectival) past passive participle of an old verb *sviest (“to smear, to spread”) (cf. Lithuanian svi̇́esti); the original meaning of sviests was thus “(something) smeared (on something else), (something) used for smearing”; cf. Russian ма́сло (máslo, “butter, oil”) and ма́зать (mázatʹ, “to smear, spread (oil)”), or Latin unguen (“fat, grease”) and unguō (“to smear, to anoint”). The verb *sviest would in turn come from *sviesti, from Proto-Baltic *swied-ti, from Proto-Indo-European *sweyd- (“to shine”) (whence also Latvian svīst (“to sweat; to steam; to dawn”) q.v.); its original meaning would have been “to make something shine” > “to smear with oil, so that it shines” > “to smear” (cf. Its descendant svaidīt (“to anoint”), originally the iterative form of *sviest). Cognates include Lithuanian svi̇́estas. Alternatively, Pokorny considers this word and Lithuanian svi̇́esti from Proto-Indo-European *ksweyd- (“milk”) (cf. Middle Indo-Aryan क्ष्विर (kṣvira), Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬎𐬎𐬍𐬛 (xšuuīd)). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [sviɛ̂sts] === Noun === sviests m (1st declension) butter (a dairy product, obtained from cream, with a high fat concentration) krējuma sviests ― cream butter skābkrējuma sviests ― sour cream butter sūkalu sviests ― whey butter svaigs sviests ― fresh butter nesalīts sviests ― unsalted butter kausēts sviests ― melted butter sviesta trauks ― butter bowl sautēt saknes sviestā ― to sautee roots in butter sviesta rūpniecība ― butter industry kult sviestu ― to churn butter gaiteņa pustumsā viņai skrēja pretī sviestā ceptu pankūku smarža ― in the darkness of the corridor the smell of pancakes fried in butter came (lit. ran) to her (in the genitive, used adjectivally) butter; containing butter, made with butter sviesta cepumi ― butter cookies sviesta mīklu gatavo no sviesta, cukura, kviešu miltiem, nedaudz pievienojot olas ― butter dough is made from butter, sugar, (and) wheat flour, adding a little egg (= one or two eggs) butter, spread (any food paste generally used as spread) (slang) nonsense; something that is bizarre (slang) something that has poor quality, is not successful saiet sviestā ― to deteriorate; to fail (lit. to go into butter) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== sviestmaize === Participle === sviests (definite sviestais) thrown, flung, slung; indefinite past passive participle of sviest ==== Declension ==== === References ===