balss

Latvian

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balss

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Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *balsas, from the o-grade of Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰol- (“to sound, to speak, to roar, to bark”), with an extra suffix -so (*bʰol-so-s). Cognates include Lithuanian bal̃sas, Russian болтать (boltatʹ, “to chat, to chatter”), dialectal балдить (balditʹ, “to often repeat the same thing”), Old High German bellan, German bellen (“to bark”), Middle Low German bulderen, German poltern (“to rumble; to speak loud”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

balss f (6th declension)

1. (anatomy) voice (sound produced by the human respiratory tract for speaking, singing, etc.)

   spēcīga balss ― strong voice

   balss trīc, dreb ― the voice trembles

   balss tembrs, spēks, augstums ― voice timbre, power, pitch

   balss aparāts ― speech (lit. voice) organs

   balss saites ― vocal cords

   lasīt balsī ― to read out loud (lit. to read in voice)

   pacelt, raudāt balsi ― to lower, to raise one's voice

2. voice, intonation (how a person's voice sounds, expressing or revealing mental states)

   priecīga, skumja balss ― happy, sad voice

   dusmīga, mierīga, vienaldzīga balss ― angry, calm, indifferent voice

3. voice (someone who cannot be seen but can be heard)

   kadā balss ierunājās aiz muguras ― some voice spoke behind (his) back

4. voice (metaphorical means of communicating feelings, mental states)

   zemes balss ― the voice of the earth

   sirds balss ― the voice of one's heart

5. voice (capacity for singing)

   augsta, zema balss ― high, low (pitched) voice

   dziedātāja balss ― a singer's voice

   balss diapazons ― voice range

6. (polyphonic music) voice (single melodic line)

   augšējā balss ― the upper voice

   pastāvīga balss ― constant voice

   balsu kustība ― voice movement

   dziedāt pirmo balsi ― to sing the first voice

   dziesma divām balsīm ― a song for two voices

7. voice (sounds and calls produced by animals)

   putnu balsis ― bird songs

   lakstīgalas balss ― nightingale's voice

8. voice (sound produced by natural phenomena or objects)

   vēja balss ― the voice of the wind

9. voice (general thoughts, beliefs, of a group of people)

   tautas balss ― the voice of the people

   sabiedrības balss ― the voice of society, public voice

10. voice (expression of a mental state)

    naida balss ― the voice of hate

    cilvēcības balss ― the voice of humanity

11. voice (capacity or opportunity to express one's opinion)

    tauta, kam bija atņemta sava balss ― a people who had been deprived of their voice

12. vote (citizen's will, expressed in an election, a referendum)

    nodot, atdot, dot (savu) balsi ― to give one's vote, to vote

13. vote (opinion, to be counted, expressed in a debate or discussion)

    izšķirt jautājumu ar balsu vairākumu ― to settle the question by majority vote

    absolūtais balsu vairākums ― absolute voting majority

Declension

Derived terms

• balsene
• balsīgs, balsīgums
• balss saite

References