# kārts
## Latvian
### Etymology 1

According to the most widespread view, kārts is a nominal form of the stem of the verb kārt “to hang” (q.v.), in which case its original meaning was “hanging (piece of wood),” or maybe “piece of wood from which something hangs.” Another hypothesis derives kārts from the same stem as cirst “to chop wood,” i.e. Proto-Baltic *kart-, *kirt-, from Proto-Indo-European *ker- “to cut” with an extra -t, in which case the original meaning would have been “cut, chopped (piece of wood).” Note, however, that the latter hypothesis does not explain the level tone in kārsts (cirst has falling tone), whereas the former does (kārt, like kārts, has level tone). Cognates include Lithuanian kártis, Old Prussian kartans.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kāːɾts]
* Audio:(file)

#### Noun

kārts f (6th declension)
* pole, post (long, thin piece of wood, usually for supporting something)
    nomizota kārts ― debarked pole
    cirst kārtis ― to cut poles
    sasliet kārtis ― to raise poles
    kāršu žogs ― pole fence
    karoga kārts ― flagpole
    garš kā kārts ― tall as a pole (a tall, thin person)
    Juris pagalmā ieraudzīja Ellu, kas vilka metrus divus, divarpus garu kārti ― in the courtyard Juris saw Ella dragging a two-, two-and-a-half-meter long pole
    viņš staigā pa dārzu, gar ēkām, gar dīķi... pāris reizes ar kārti to mērīja ― he walked by the garden, along the buildings, the pond... a couple of times he measured it with a pole
* (sports, athletics) pole used in pole vault competitions
    tagad, izrādās, vairs nepietiek tikai ar kārts atbilstību sportista augumam un svaram ― now, it turns out, the support of the pole is no longer enough for the height and weight of the athlete...

##### Synonyms

* līksts

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from German Karte (with level-tone lengthening: āɾ > āːɾ), itself borrowed from French carte. The term is first mentioned in 17th-century dictionaries as a plural 5th-declension noun (kārtes); the current 6th-declension form is first attested in the 1870s, perhaps as a result of the influence of kārts “pole” (see above), which was already a 6th-declension stem; cf. karte, also borrowed from German Karte, but not influenced by kārts “pole.”

#### Alternative forms

* (obsolete form) kārte

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kāːɾts]
* Audio:(file)

#### Noun

kārts f (6th declension)
* card, playing card (one of usually 52 rectangular pieces of hard paper or cardboard with drawings, used to play various games)
    kāršu komplekts ― deck of cards
    kāršu vērtība ― the value of the cards
    kāršu spēle ― card game
    dalīt kārtis ― to give (lit. distribute) the cards
    kāršu suga ― card suit
    Nikurs paņēma savu kārti... tas bija pīķa kalps ― Nikurs took his card... it was the jack of spades
* cards, card game (a game which uses these cards)
    kāršu partija ― a game of cards
    spēlēt kārtis ― to play cards
    kungi sēdās pie kāršu galda ― the gentlemen sat down at the card table
    lielajā namā pirms revolūcijas pulcējās muižnieku aristokrātija, notriecot lauku kārtīs, uzdzīvē un tukšās diskusijās ― before the revolution, the landowner aristocracy got together in the big house, killing time in (= with) cards, merry-making and empty discussions

##### Synonyms

* spēļu kārts

##### See also

Suits in Latvian · sugas (see also: kārts, spēļu kārts) (layout · text) :
| sirdis | kāravi | pīķi | krusti, kreiči |

### References

* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “kārts$^a$”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “kārts$^b$”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN