See also: līkums

Latvian edit

Etymology edit

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]

Pronunciation edit

(file)

Noun edit

likums m (1st declension)

  1. law (mandatory rule approved and applied by the government)
    pieņemt likumuto adopt a law
    likumprojekts, likuma projektsbill, draft of law
    meža aizsardzības likumiforest protection laws
    pēc likuma, saskaņa ar likumuaccording to the law
    rīkoties likuma vārdāto act on behalf of, in the name of the law
    izdot likumusto produce laws, to legislate
    pārkāpt likumuto violate the law
    likuma burtsthe letter of the law
  2. law (traditional or accepted rule or norm)
    pieklājības likumithe laws of decency
    viņš tika svētīt pēc visiem tēvutēvu likumiemhe 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 likumuto find the law
    specifisks likumsspecific law
    dabas likumslaw of nature, natural law
    universāls, objektīvs likumsuniversal, objective law
    likuma darbības sfērathe sphere of action (i.e., the scope) of a law
    komutatīvais likumscommutative law (in mathematics, x+y = y+x)
  4. (of a topic of learning) law, rule, principle
    pareizrakstības likumispelling rules
    stundām no vietas skolotājs dīdīja puikām vācu un latīņu gramatikas likumusfor hours the teacher drilled the boys in the laws, rules of German and Latin grammar

Declension edit

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “likums”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN