vēsture

Coined by Atis Kronvalds in 1868, derived from vēstīt (“to herald, to announce”) (compare vēsts (“news”)). Its form was influenced by Ancient Greek ἱστορίᾱ (historíā, “inquiry, examination, research; news; retelling; history”); Kronvalds cited a word historija (no longer in use) as a synonym of vēsture. The concept of history had previously been expressed as stāsti (“stories”), pasaules stāsti (“world stories”) (compare German Geschichte (“stories; history”)), and, in the mid-19th century, also with the Russian-derived term istorija (compare исто́рия (istórija)).[1]

• IPA^(key): [væ̀ːstuɾɛ]

vēsture f (5th declension)

1. history (a chain of events, a process seen as evolving in time)

   Zemes ģeoloģiskā vēsture ― the Earth's geological history

   pilsētas, novada vēsture ― city, regional history

   latviešu kultūras vēsture ― history of Latvian culture

2. history (the past; past events)

   tas pieder vēsturei ― this is (lit. belongs to) history

   mācīties no vēstures ― to learn from history

   vēstures fakti ― historical facts

   ieiet vēsture ― to enter history (= become famous)

3. history (the science that studies the development of human societies in time)

   vēstures fakultāte, muzejs ― history faculty, museum

   vēstures filozofija ― philosophy of history

   vēstures avoti ― historical sources

   pilsētas vēstures arhīvs ― city's historical archive

   studēt mākslas vēsture ― to study art history

   seno, senāko laiku vēsture ― older times (= ancient) history

   viduslaiku vēsture ― middle times (= medieval) history

   jauno, jaunāko laiku vēsture ― newer times (= modern) history

• vēsturisks
• vēsturnieks

• → Latgalian: viesture