bērzs

Latvian

Bērzi

Alternative forms

• bērza, bērze (dialectal)

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *berźas, *berźā (with the long ē caused by the level intonation: er̄ > ēːr), from *bʰerHǵós.

Dialectal Latvian bērze is closer to Old Prussian, while dialectal Latvian bērza is closer to Slavic. Cognates include Lithuanian béržas, Old Prussian berse, Proto-Slavic *berza, Old English beorc, Old High German birka, English birch, German Birke, Sanskrit भूर्ज (bhūrjá), Latin frāxinus (“ash tree”) (< *bʰr̥Hǵ-s-inos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bǣːrs]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

bērzs m (1st declension)

1. birch tree (gen. Betula)

   bērza lapa, malka, tāss ― birch leaf, wood, bark

   purva bērzs ― bog birch

   āra bērzs ― silver birch, European white birch

   nocirst bērzu ― to cut down a birch tree

   bērzu sula ― birch juice

   bērzu slota ― birch broom

   sasiet bērza zarus slotā ― to tie birch branches into a broom

Declension

Declension of bērzs (1st declension)

	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	bērzs	bērzi
accusative (akuzatīvs)	bērzu	bērzus
genitive (ģenitīvs)	bērza	bērzu
dative (datīvs)	bērzam	bērziem
instrumental (instrumentālis)	bērzu	bērziem
locative (lokatīvs)	bērzā	bērzos
vocative (vokatīvs)	bērz	bērzi

See also

• tāss