leja

See also: Leja, lejā, leją, and Leją

Latvian

Alternative forms

  • (dated, 19th-century form) leija

Etymology

From earlier (19th-century) leija, from Proto-Baltic *ley-ya-, from *ley-ā, from Proto-Indo-European *l̥-ey, from the zero grade of *el-, *Heh₃l- (to bend, to incline) (whence also elkonis (elbow), q.v.) with a suffix -ey. The meaning probably evolved as follows: “bent inward” > “inwardly bent earth”, “valley” > “lower area.” Cognates include Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌰𐍂𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌾𐌰 (undarleija, lower, smaller), Ancient Greek λειμών (leimṓn, humid, grassy place, humid meadow) (lower places are often humid).[1]

Pronunciation

(file)

Noun

leja f (4th declension)

  1. low area, low place, below (place located below, with respect to something else)
    pa leju mājai garām šaujas motocikletsa motorcycle ran by in the low area along the house
    Lība palika stāvam un ostīja gaisu: kaut kur no lejas uzvēdīja svešāada smaršaLība remained standing and sniffed the air: somewhere from below a strange smell was spreading
  2. (in genitive, used adjectivally) lower side, lower part, bottom (of something)
    lejas stāvsthe lower (i.e., first) floor
    te bija lejas aula baznīca ar zaļo skārda jumtuhere was the lower village church with a green tin roof
    tumšajā lejas gaitenī klusēdami izklīst skolēnu pulciņithe small groups of studnets silently dispersed in the dark lower corridor
  3. (in locative, used adverbially) down, below, at the bottom, in a lower area (of some place)
    lejā pagalmā spēlējās bērnidown in the yard the children were playing
    izgāju pat uz balkona; dzīli lejā zem manis slīdēja automašīnas un trolejbusiI went out on the balcony; deep down under me cars and trolleys slid by
    un tad tepat lejā pie Varžupīte tie karkliand then right here (they are), down by the Varžupīte (river), these willows
    tieši zem nišas bija divi galdiņi; nišā varēja dzirdēt katru vārdu, ko tie tur lejā runājaright under the niche there were two little tables; in the niche it was possible to hear every word which they said down there
  4. (geography) valley
    upes, strauta lejariver, creek valley
    dziļa lejadeep valley
    krūmiem aizaugusi lejaa valley overgrown with bushes
    lejas nogāzevalley slope
    starp diviem kalniem vēsā lejā / svēts, vientuļš klosteris glabājāsin a cool valley between two mountains / a holy, lonely monastery kept itself
  5. depression in an area or terrain
    miklajā ganību lejā nāca melnakšņu un kārklu krūmiin the humid pasture depression there were (lit. came) alder and willow bushes
  6. (of rivers; usually with uz, no) mouth, estuary
    no lejas brauc tvaikonisfrom the river mouth came a steamboat
    straume laivu nesa uz lejuthe stream took the boat downstream, to(ward) the estuary
    jo tālāk ejam mēs uz leju, jo vairāk straume izšķir mūsthe further we go downstream, the more the stream separated us
  7. (with uz) down, downward, toward the earth (also metaphorically)
    skatīties uz lejuto look down
    ceļš ved uz lejuthe path leads down
    Ģirts gāja pa kāpnēm uz lejuĢirts walked down the stairs
    svaru kauss sveras uz lejuthe heavy cup weighs down
    Mācītājam Silingam ar veselību ejot uz lejuPastor Siling's health, they say, is going down

Declension

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

References

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

Livonian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *liha.

Noun

leja

  1. flesh

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈlɛ.ja/
  • Rhymes: -ɛja
  • Syllabification: le‧ja

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Romanian leu, from Latin leō, from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn).

Noun

leja f

  1. Alternative form of lej
Declension

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

leja m inan

  1. genitive singular of lej

Further reading

  • leja in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • leja in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lě̄xà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *láišāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *lóyseh₂, from *leys-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lěːja/

Noun

léja f (Cyrillic spelling ле́ја)

  1. plot of land for sowing, a partition of agriculturally or horticulturally used earth, farming bed
    • 2015 June 15, “Planiranje vrta [Garden planning]”, in Bio-Vrt:
      Za proizvodnju ranih proljetnih vrsta salate, kao i za snabdjevanje vrta svojim sadnicama, može se napraviti pokrivena topla leja.
      To produce early spring types of salad, as also for provision of the garden with seedlings, one can create a covered warm bed.

Declension

References

  • ле́ја”, in Речник српскохрватскога књижевног језика (in Serbo-Croatian), Друго фототипско издање edition, volume 3, Нови Сад, Загреб: Матица српска, Матица хрватска, 1969, published 1990, page 182
  • ле́ха”, in Речник српскохрватскога књижевног језика (in Serbo-Croatian), Друго фототипско издање edition, volume 3, Нови Сад, Загреб: Матица српска, Матица хрватска, 1969, published 1990, page 199

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from English ledger.

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Noun

leja (n class, plural leja)

  1. ledger (a collection of accounting entries consisting of credits and debits)

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish leghia, from Old Norse leiga, from Proto-Germanic *laigijaną (to lend).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɛja/
  • Rhymes: -ɛja

Verb

leja (present lejer, preterite lejde, supine lejt, imperative lej)

  1. to hire (on a temporary basis)
    leja en torped
    hire a hitman

Usage notes

Often of illegal or questionable tasks.

Conjugation

Derived terms

See also

References

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.