# svešs
## Latvian
### Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *swetyas, from *swet-, a form of the reflexive pronoun *swe. The original meaning was probably “alone, by himself,” hence “one who doesn't belong to any tribe” > “strange, unknown, unheard of.” Cognates include Lithuanian adjective svẽčias, noun svetỹs (“foreigner, visitor”), Proto-Slavic *svātъ < *swō-to-s “matchmaker; suitor, future spouse” (cf. Russian сват (svat)), Ancient Greek ἕτης (hétēs, “appropriate; tribesman”) (< *swe-te-s).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [svɛʃ]
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### Adjective

svešs (definite svešais, comparative svešāks, superlative vissvešākais, adverb sveši)
* (of people) unknown, foreign (which one has not met before)
    svešs zēns ― unknown boy
    sveša sieviete ― unknown woman
    sveša tauta ― unknown, foreign people
    sanākuši sveši ļaudis ― unknown people (= strangers) have come
    vairākus no sanāksmes dalībniekiem Tauriņš pazīst, bet ir arī sveši, kurus viņš redz pirmo reizi ― Tauriņš knows several of the people in the meeting, but there are also strangers, whom he sees (now) for the first time
    Ieviņu sūtīt pie saimniekiem ganos Līzei bija žēl, meitene arvien vēl no svešiem baidījās ― Līze didn't want to send Ieviņa (little Eve) to the landlord's shepherds, the little girl was always so afraid of strangers
* (of objects, abstractions) foreign, of others (belonging to unknown people;belonging to other people)
    svešas mantas ― property of others
    sveša automašīna ― someone else's car
    svešs apģērbs ― someone else's clothes
    svešas šūnas ― foreign cells (from some other body)
    dzīvot, būt svešā maizē ― to live, to be on someone else's bread (= to live from someone else's resources)
    svešs kažoks nesilda ― someone else's coat is not warm (proverb)
    daudz es esmu mācījusies no svešām kļūdām?! ― have I learned a lot from the mistakes of strangers (= others)?
    ir cilvēki, kuri nevar vienaldzīgi paiet garām svēšam bēdām ― there are people who cannot indifferently pass by the misfortune of others
    es nezinu neko labāku par godīgu darbu; maniem pirkstiem nekad naw pielipis ne santīms svešas naudas ― I know nothing better than honest work; in my hands there has never been even one cent of someone else's money
* of others; unrelated (not part of one's extended family)
    audzināt svešu bērnu ― to raise someone else's child (= a child unrelated to those who raise him/her)
* (of objects, places, phenomena) unknown, unfamiliar, strange, foreign (with which one has no previous experience, of which one has no previous knowledge)
    svešs novads ― unknown, unfamiliar region
    sveša pilsēta ― unknown city
    sveša melodija ― unknown, unfamiliar melody
    svešas paražas ― strange, foreign, alien customs
    sveša valoda ― foreign, alien language
    nonākt svešā vietā ― to come to an unknown place
    iejusties svešos apstakļos ― to get into strange, unfamiliar circumstances
    Annele pakāpas augstāk skatīties svešo apkārtni ― Annele climbed up to have a look at the unknown surroundings
    vecā Sīmaņa nebeidzamie nostāsti par svešām zemēm puikam bija uzdzinuši zināšanu slāpes ― old Sīmanis' endless tales of foreign lands had driven the boys' thirst for knowledge
    jā, mājās... kur vēl ir tik labi?... bet to cilvēks tā īsti saprot tikai tad, kad liktenis viņu izmētājis pa svešām malām, kur nav ne māju, ne draugu, ne dzīves siltuma ― yes, home... what is so good (as home)?... but people only really understand that when destiny throws them in foreign places, where there is no home, no friend, no warmth
* unfamiliar, strange, unusual (which is perceived as unknown, different)
    tīri tāds pazīstams ceļš; būtu diena, tad jau pazītu, bet tumsā dažreiz pašam sava māja liekas sveša ― a clearly well-known path; if it were day, he would have known it, but in the darkness often even one's own house seems unfamiliar
    Nadīna nedzirdēja; viņa klausījās savas satrauktās sirds dunoņā: tā bija sveša, gluži kā nebūtu pašas sirds ― Nadīna didn't hear; she was listening to her anxious hearts' rumbles: it was strange, as if it weren't her own heart
* (of people) strange, foreign (with whom one shares no interests, no friendship, no spiritual connection)
    ilūzijas bija zudušas, bet patiesība izrādījās tāda, itin nekā viņiem nav kopīga; viņi - pilnīgi sveši cilvēki ― the illusions were gone, and truth showed itself, they had nothign in common; they (were) fully foreign people (to each other)
    mani vecāki izšķīrās, un, kad māte apprecējās otrreiz, es viņai kļuvu vēl svešāka, varbūt tādēļ, ka ļoti izskatījos pēc tēva ― my parents divorced, and, when (my) mother married again, I became even more foreign to her, maybe because I took very much after (my) father
* foreign, alien (not natural, not typical, not normal to someone; not acceptable to someone)
    skaudības jūtas viņam ir svešas ― feelings of envy are foreign to him (= he does not feel envy)
    Gētem, kam dzīves jēga bija pati dzīve, Dantes viņpasaules mistika bija sveša ― Dante's otherworldly mystique was foreign to Goethe, to whom the meaning of life was life itself
    šie cilvēki visi bija kara lietām sveši, cerējuši nekad savā mūžā nāves ieročus rokā neņemt ― these people were all foreign to the affairs of war, (they) had hoped never in their lives to have to take weapons in (their) hands

#### Synonyms

* (of "unknown, unfamiliar"): nepazīstams
* (of "stange"): neparasts

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “of "unknown, unfamiliar"”): pazīstams
* (antonym(s) of “of "without spiritual connection"”): intīms, tuvs

#### Derived terms

* svešāds
* svešatne
* svešinieks, svešiniece
* svešums
* svešvaloda
* svešvārds

### References

* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “svešs”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN