ciems

From Proto-Indo-European *ḱeym- (“village, home”) (whence also saime (“family, household”), q.v.), from *ḱey-, *ḱoy- (“to be located; camp; abode”); the original meaning of ciems was thus “camp, encampment.” A parallel form *kaims (> kaimiņš (“neighbor”), q.v.) also existed. Since Proto-Indo-European *ḱ should yield Latvian *š > s, not c, it has been suggested that ciems and all its Baltic cognates descend from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“piece, quiet”), or result from a borrowing, from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“village”); but there are rather many Baltic and Slavic words with irregular reflexes of *ḱ, which suggest dialectal differences or parallel forms (*ḱey-/*key-) already in Proto-Indo-European. Cognates include Lithuanian kiẽmas (“yard, rural house, village”), kaímas (“village”), Old Prussian caymis (“village”), Sudovian aucima (“village”), Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“house, village”) (Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌼𐍃 (haims, “village”), Old High German heim (“dwelling, house”), German Heim, English home), Ancient Greek κώμη (kṓmē, “village”) (compare κεῖμαι (keîmai, “to lie down”))[1]

• IPA^(key): [tsìems]

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ciems m (1st declension)

1. village, settlement (small group of houses that forms a territorial unit)

   liels, mazs ciems ― big, small village

   ciems jūras krastā ― a village on the seashore

2. the inhabitants of a village

   viss ciems saskrēja skatīties ― the whole vilage came running to watch

3. the area surrounding a village, organized as an administrative unit

   ciema padome ― village council

   ciema teritorija ― village territory

   rajona pilsētas un ciemi ― the towns/cities and villages of the district

• ciemats

• ciemiņš