bēda

From Proto-Baltic *bēd-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰēdʰ-, the lengthened grade of *bʰedʰ- (“to bend, to press”). The meaning change was possibly “to bend, to press” > “to experience coercion, humiliation” > “(to be in) a bad situation”; (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) compare Albanian bíndem (“to bow down, obey”), Proto-Germanic *bidjaną (“to pray, request, bid, beg”) and Tocharian A poto (“worship”). Cognates include Lithuanian bėdà, Proto-Slavic *běda (“adversity, misery”) (Russian беда́ (bedá, “adversity, tribulation, disaster”), Belarusian бе́дны (bjédny), бяда́ (bjadá), Ukrainian біда́ (bidá), Czech běda, bída (“need, poverty”), Polish bieda (“poverty, deprivation, unhappiness”)), Old High German beitten (“ask for”), German bitten, Sanskrit बाधते (bā́dhate, “to press”), बाधाः (bādháḥ, “obstacle, hardship”).

Alternatively, borrowed from Slavic, which is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to compel, force ^?”) (compare Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (baidjan) and Old English bǣdan for the semantics), but the falling intonation is not usually found on borrowings and *bied- would normally be expected. It has also been suggested that the two roots are related via an *ē ~ *ey alternation, but this is not possible in the standard theory, and the semantic gap is wide anyway.

See also bads (“hunger”).

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bēda f (4th declension)

1. (only plural) sadness, sorrow, grief (emotional state caused by, e.g., unhappiness, loss)

   dziļas bēdas ― deep sorrow

   ciest bēdas ― to suffer grief

   palīdzēt, dalīties bēdās ― to help, to share in (case of) sorrow

   mierināt draugu bēdās ― to comfort a friend in sorrow

   bēdu sagrauzts cilvēks ― a person afficlted with grief, a grieving person

2. trouble, misfortune, disaster (unpleasant event, circumstance, condition; thoughts about such an event; concern)

   liela bēda ― great misfortune

   maza bēda ― little problem, trouble

   pārvarēt bēdu ― to overcome a disaster

   tā nav nekāda bēda ― this is no big trouble

   kas man bēdas! ― what trouble (is) that to me!

• bēdīgums
• drūmums
• nomāktība
• sērīgums, serība, sērums
• skumjas, skumjums, skumīgums, skumība

• laime
• prieks, dzīvesprieks

• bēdīgs, bēdīgums
• nebēda
  • nebēdīgs, nebēdīgums, nebēdība
  • nebēdnīgs, nebēdnīgums, nebēdnība
  • nebēdnis, nebēdne, nebēdnieks, nebēdniece