# meklēt
## Latvian
### Etymology

The origin of this word is not clear. Some researchers link it to Latvian mācēt (“to know how, to be able to”), Russian dialectal намо́кнуть (namóknutʹ, “to become accustomed”), Polish dialectal makać (“to touch, to hit”), maklać, makłać (“to touch”). Others suggest that meklēt comes from Proto-Indo-European *mē- (“to measure”), via Proto-Baltic *met-l- (cf. mest (“to throw”) > *met-ti < *mē-) > mekl-. A third idea is that meklēt is related to dialectal terms for “digging”, like meknīt, mekņīt “to dig (in a thick mass)”, meksēt, mekšēt, mekšķēt (“to dig; to eat with appetite”). If originally the stem is supposed to have meant “to dig (into a thick mass)”, then it would be possible to derive meklēt from Proto-Indo-European *mak-, *māk- (“wet”), leading to an older verb *mekt, of which meklēt would originally have been the iterative form; the semantic evolution would have been “thick, wet substance” > “to dig into a thick, wet substance” > “to search for something (in a thick, wet substance)” > “to search, to look for”. Cognates include Lithuanian mė́klinti (“to suspect; to mention; to recall; to think; to consider, to ponder”), Russian dialectal ме́кать, мека́ть (mékatʹ, mekátʹ, “to think, to believe, to know, to sense, to hope for”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mɛklɛ̂ːt]
* Audio:(file)

### Verb

meklēt (transitive, 2nd conjugation, present meklēju, meklē, meklē, past meklēju)
* to search for, to look for (something or someone lost, hidden, etc.)
    meklēt pazaudētos cimdus ― to look for the lost gloves
    meklēt kabatās atslēgus ― to look for the keys in (one's) pockets
    meklēt atvilktnē dokumentu ― to look for a document in the drawer
    meklēt karā pazudušos vecākus ― to look for parents who disappeared during the war
    galvu noliecis, viņš meklē naudu ― having bowed (his) head, he is looking for the money
    viņa rosījās pa istabu, meklēdama kādu šķīvi un nazi ar dakšiņu ― she was busy all around the room, looking for a plate with a fork and knife
* to search for, to look for (to try to perceive or discern something)
    meklēt zvēru pēdas ― to look for animal trails, footprints
    meklēt pieeju upei ― to look for an access to the river
    meklēt ceļu uz ezeru ― to look for the road to the lake
    viņš steidzās meklēt Tīrumu ielu ― he hastened to look for Tīrumu street
    viņi meklē pa īsviļņiem kuģu sasaukšanos dažādās nesaprotamās valodās ― they looked for ship hails in several unknown languages on shortwaves
* to search for, to look for (to try to find by researching, analyzing)
    meklēt naftas atradnes ― to search for oil fields
    diamanti tika meklēti arī citur: Kolas pussalā, Jeņisejas baseinā ― (they) searched for diamonds also elsewhere: in the Kola pensinsula, in the Yenissey basin
* (of errors, mistakes) to search for, to look for, to check for
    meklēt brāķi ― to look for a defective item
    meklēt tekstā iespiedkļūdas ― to look for typographical errors in a text
* to search for, to look for (to try to find or obtain something that one needs or wants)
    meklēt darbu ― to look for work, a job
    meklēt aizņēmumu ― to look for a loan
    meklēt veikalos uzvalkam drānu ― to look in the shops for cloth for a suit
    rajona kolhozi meklē daudzgadīgo zāļu sēklas ― the local collective farm is looking for seeds of perennial plants
* to look for, to try to meet (someone), to try to find (someone, e.g., for a job)
    meklēt palīgu ― to look for help (= a helper, an assistant)
    meklēt darbiniekus ― to look for employees
    “paklausies, Arvīd!” Baltābols pienāca: “kāds vīrs tevi meklē; bijis pie tevis jau mājā” ― “listen, Arvid!” Baltābols came (to him): “some guy is looking for you; he has already been to your house”
* to look for, to seek (to try to be in a certain situation, to have a certain emotion)
    meklēt prieku ― to seek pleasure
    meklēt mierinājumu ― to seek comfort, solace, consolation
    meklēt brīvu brīdi ― to look for a free moment
    vecais pārlaida skatu visapkārt, it kā meklēdams palīdzību ― the old man looked all around, as if seeking help
* to look for, to search for (to try to obtain some information, to think of something, to create something new in one's mind)
    meklēt pierādījumus ― to look for evidence
    meklēt problēmas atrisinājumu ― to look for a solution to a problem
    meklēt jaunas darba metodes ― to look for new ways of working
    meklēt izeju no situācijas ― to look for a way out of the situation
    meklēt vārdus ― to look for words (= to try to say something appropriate)
    institūta ļaudis meklē vislabākos variantus ― the institute people are looking for the best options

#### Derived terms

    prefixed verbs:
* apmeklēt
* izmeklēt
* nomeklēt
* pameklēt
* pārmeklēt
* piemeklēt
* sameklēt
* uzmeklēt
    other derived terms:
* meklējums
* meklētājs, meklētāja

### References

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