pirkt

This word is traditionally derived from Proto-Baltic *per-k-, *pr̥k-, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“taking over, past something”) (whence Latvian prepositions par, pār, q.v.), as a verb “to take over, past (somewhere)” > “to take (somewhere) to sell” > “to sell”, with an extra k. With this meaning, cf. Ancient Greek περνάναι (pernánai), πιπράσκειν (pipráskein, “to sell, to export”), and Old Irish renim (“I sell”) (< *pr̥-nā-). In the Baltic languages, the meaning “to sell” became “to buy,” given the nature of buying and selling as two aspects of the same two-sided event. From the same stem also prece (“product, ware, merchandise”), q.v. A more recent suggestion is that pirkt may derive from another Proto-Indo-European stem *per- (“to hit”) (whence pērkons (“thunder”), q.v.), with as original meaning “to rob, to plunder;” in several Indo-European languages, verbs of buying originate from verbs of taking (cf. Latin emere (“to buy”), earlier “to take”). Cognates include Lithuanian pir̃kti.

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pirkt (transitive, 1st conjugation, present pērku, pērc, pērk, past pirku)

1. to buy, to purchase (to obtain, to acquire something by paying an appropriate amount of money)

   pirkt pārtiku ― to buy groceries

   pirkt lakatu, zābakus ― to buy a scarf, boots

   pirkt gleznu ― to buy a painting

   pirkt biļetes ― to buy tickets

   dārgi, lēti pirkt ― to buy at an expensive, cheap price

   izdēvīgi pirkt ― to buy at a convenient price

   pirkt par skaidru naudu ― to buy (for) cash (lit. for clear money)

   pirkt skaidrā naudā ― to buy cash (lit. in clear money)

   pirkt uz kredīta, uz nomaksu ― to buy on credit, by installments

   viņš brauca uz Igauniju pirkt jaunu zirgu ― he went to Estonia to buy a new horse

   viņa pirka tikai pašu visnepieciešamako ― she bought only the most necessary (things)

   visi pērk, tātad arī man jāpērk ― everybody is buying, so I also have to buy

2. (figuratively) to buy (to obtain something with effort, with sacrifice)

   par milzīgu asinscenu pirkta uzvara pār fašismu ― the victory over fascism was bought with an enormous price in blood

• pārdot

prefixed verbs:

other derived terms:

• pircējs, pircēja
• pirkums