likums

From likt (“to put, to place”) +‎ -ums. The original meaning was probably “that which is placed, put,” later on (in the 17th century) “task, order, command.” The current legal meaning arose only in the early 19th century. Compare German Gesetz (“law”), from setzen (“to put, to place”).^[1]

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likums m (1st declension)

1. law (mandatory rule approved and applied by the government)

   pieņemt likumu ― to adopt a law

   likumprojekts, likuma projekts ― bill, draft of law

   meža aizsardzības likumi ― forest protection laws

   pēc likuma, saskaņa ar likumu ― according to the law

   rīkoties likuma vārdā ― to act on behalf of, in the name of the law

   izdot likumus ― to produce laws, to legislate

   pārkāpt likumu ― to violate the law

   likuma burts ― the letter of the law

2. law (traditional or accepted rule or norm)

   pieklājības likumi ― the laws of decency

   viņš tika svētīt pēc visiem tēvutēvu likumiem ― he was blessed by all the laws of (our) father's father(s)

3. (in science) law (essential relation between phenomena that describes their future evolution)

   izzināt likumu ― to find the law

   specifisks likums ― specific law

   dabas likums ― law of nature, natural law

   universāls, objektīvs likums ― universal, objective law

   likuma darbības sfēra ― the sphere of action (i.e., the scope) of a law

   komutatīvais likums ― commutative law (in mathematics, x+y = y+x)

4. (of a topic of learning) law, rule, principle

   pareizrakstības likumi ― spelling rules

   stundām no vietas skolotājs dīdīja puikām vācu un latīņu gramatikas likumus ― for hours the teacher drilled the boys in the laws, rules of German and Latin grammar

• norma
• noteikums

• likumīgs, likumīgums, likumība
• likumprojekts, likuma projekts