ķēniņš

Latvian

Alternative forms

• (obsolete terms) konings, koniņš, kēnings
• (archaic term) ķoniņš

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German könink (“king”), or from Middle Dutch coninc (“ruler”) (cf. German König, Dutch koning, English king), parallel forms to Middle Low German kunig (whence Latvian kungs (“lord, sir, Mr.”), q.v.). The word was borrowed during the 17th century, in different forms, depending on dialect: konings, koniņš > archaic ķoniņš; kēnings > ķēniņš. The form ķēniņš stabilized in the 18th century. Nowadays, except for a few expressions, ķēniņš has largely been replaced by its synonym karalis (q.v.).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

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Noun

ķēniņš m (1st declension, feminine form: ķēniņiene)

1. (dated) king (the monarch of a kingdom)

   kungs un kēniņš ― lord and king (expression used to address a king)

   būt kungam un kēniņam ― to be lord and king (to be the absolute chief)

   zvēru kēniņš ― the king of beasts (i.e., the lion)

   kēniņa pils ― the king's castle, the royal castle

   ik vakarus ministrs ziņoja, ka viss kārtībā, un neviena ļauna skaņa neaizskāra kēniņa ausis ― every evening the minister reported that everything (was) fine, and no bad sounds reached the king's ears

   pašreizīgas saimnieks varēja būt pilnīgs kungs un kēniņš savā namā, savā zemē ― the current owner could be fully lord and king in his own house, in his own land

Usage notes

Except for a few expressions, ķēniņš has mostly been replaced by its synonym karalis in current usage.

Declension

Synonyms

• cars
• imperators
• karalis
• ķeizars

Derived terms

• zvēru ķēniņš
• ķēnišķīgs

References