strēle

Latvian

Alternative forms

• (dialectal form) strēla

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *strel-, *strēl-, from *ster- (“line, streak, stripe; jet, spurt; beam”) (whence also Latvian stars (“ray, beam”), q.v.) with an extra l. The same stem also yielded the 17th-/18th-century verb strēlēt (“to shoot”), later replaced by šaut (“to shoot”). The basic meaning must have been “to scatter, to throw (around)”, from which “to shoot” and, as a nominalized form, “that which is shot”. Cognates include Lithuanian strėlė̃, strėlà (“arrow; shoot, branch; rafter”), Old Church Slavonic стрѣла (strěla), Belarusian, Bulgarian, Russian стрела́ (strelá), Ukrainian стріла́ (strilá, “arrow”), Czech střela (“arrow, projectile”), Polish strzała (“arrow”), Old High German strāla (“arrow, lightning bolt”), German Strahl (“ray, beam”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

strēle f (5th declension)

1. (chiefly figuratively) arrow, dart (projectile thrown with a bow)

   traucas kā izšauta strēle ― speeding, rushing like an arrow (lit. like a shot arrow)

2. arrow (a component part that is thin and long, usually used for pointing)

   pa skalu slīd strēle, norādīdama iegrimes dziļumu ― along the scale the arrow moved, showing the depth of the sinking

   kad Lilija pēdējo reizi paraudzījās pulkstenī, zeltītās strēles iezīmēja ceturksni uz deviņiem ― when Lilija last looked at the clock, the golden arrows showed a quarter of nine

3. something narrow and elongated like an arrow

   ledus gan plaisāja sīkās strēlēs, tomēr izturēja ― the ice did crack in tiny arrows, but it held, endured

4. (of light) beam, ray

   putekļi vērpās saules strēlēs, kas staroja iekšā pa logu ― the dust was spinning under (lit. in) the sun rays which shone in through the window

   kā ugunīga pātaga tumsu pārcirta zibens strēle — like a fiery whip, the lightning bolt (lit. arrow, ray) cut thourgh the dakrness

5. (of gas, fog, smoke) narrow, elongated formation, strip

   pāri debesīm traucās melnas mākoņu strēles, brīžiem aizsegdamas mēnesi ― across the sky rushed black cloud strips, sometimes hiding the moon

   zilganas dūmu strēles peldēja pāri ievu krūmiem ― bluish smoke strips floated across the cherry bushes

6. (of land, territory) strip, stretch (narrow, elongated area)

   zemes, smilšu strēle ― a strip of land, of sand

   tāda bija jūrmala šai ciemā: šaura krasta strēle ― such was the seaside at (= near) this village: a narrow stretch of coast

7. (technology) jib, boom (the projecting arm of a crane)

   līgani pagriezās celtņa strēle ― smoothly turned the crane jib, boom

Usage notes

The preferred term for "arrow" as a weapon is bulta, while strēle is more frequently used metaphorically, or when talking about pointing signs or component parts.

Declension

Synonyms

• (of "arrow"): bulta
• (of "pointer"): rādītājs
• (of "strip"): josla

Derived terms

• strēlnieks, strēlniece
• (archaic term) strēlēt

See also

• loks
• stops

References