# ciets
## Latvian
### Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *kietas, from *keitas, from Proto-Indo-European *key- (“to set in motion, to move”) with an extra (adjectivizing) suffix -to-s. A parallel form with -tyo-s (*keityas, *kietyas) yielded Latvian ciešs (“tight”). Meaning change: “moving” > “happy, safe, healthy” > “strong, rigid” > “hard.” Cognates include Lithuanian kíetas, Sudovian kit, Old Prussian keytaro (“hail, greeting”), Proto-Slavic *čitъ (dialectal чи́тый (čítyj, “sober”), Serbo-Croatian čȉt (“healthy, whole”)).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [tsiɛ̂ts]
* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

ciets (definite cietais, comparative cietāks, superlative viscietākais, adverb cieti, ciet)
* (physics) solid (having stable form)
    cieta viela, cietviela ― solid substance
    cieti ķermeņi ― solid bodies
    cietais kurināmais ― solid fuel
    ciets agregātstāvoklis ― solid state
* hard, solid, rigid (difficult to split, crush, bend, etc.)
    ciets minerāls, metāls ― hard, solid mineral, metal
    ciets tērauds, granīts ― hard, solid steel, granite
    ciets diamants, asmens ― hard, solid diamond, blade
    ciets zīmulis ― hard pencil (with lead that wears out slowly)
    ciets kā akmens ― hard, solid as rock
    visi akmeņi nebūt nav vienādi cieti ― not all stones are equally hard
* hard, solid (having a layer of rock, or snow, or ice)
    cieta augsne, grunts, pļava ― hard soil, ground, meadow
    ciets māls ― hard clay
    ciets pamats ― hard, soild foundation
    uzplēsti seši hektāri cietajā stepes zemē ― six hectares of hard steppe land (were) broken up, plowed
* (of fabric, cloth) hard, solid (strong, difficult to fold or bend; made of such fabric, cloth)
    ciets audekls ― solid canvas
    cieta aitāda ― hard sheepskin
    ciets zābaks ― hard boot
    viņš nēsāja uzkreklus ar cietām apkaklītēm ― he wore a dickey with a hard collar
* (of furniture, cushions, etc.) hard (not soft, resistant to pressure)
    ciets dīvāns, spilvens ― hard sofa, pillow
    cieta gulta, atzveltne ― hard bed, back (of chair)
    tas krēsls man par cietu ― that chair is too hard for me
* (of body parts, tissue) hard (difficult to bend or break)
    citie audi ― hard tissue
    ciets kauls ― hard bone
    cieta āda ― hard skin
    cietās aukslējas ― hard palate
    rokas bija pilnas cietu tulznu ― (his) hands were full of hard blisters
* (of hands, their skin) hard, hardened (having strong, harsh skin)
    cietas rokas ― hard hands
    cieta plauksta ― hard palm (of hand)
* (of hair) thick, strong
    cieta bārda ― thick beard
    cietas ūsas ― thick mustache
* (of plants) hard (difficult to bend, squeeze, trim, prune)
    ciets koks, ozols ― hard tree, oak
    ciets stumbrs, zars ― hard trunk, branch
    ciets grauds ― hard grain
    šo koku koksne pusotras reizes cietāka par dzelzi ― the wood of these trees is one and a half times harder than iron
* (of food) hard (difficult to bite and chew)
    cieta gaļa, maize ― hard meat, bread
    ciets siers ― hard cheese
    cieta ola ― hard (boiled) egg
* (of character, will; of people, their behavior) hard, tough (strong, determined, uncompromising, ruthless)
    ciets raksturs ― hard, tough character
    cieta daba ― hard, tough nature
    cieta sirds ― hard heart (i.e., cruel, ruthless)
    viņš bija ciets cilvēks ― he was a hard, tough man (lit. person)
    ciets skatiens ― hard look
    viņa sejas izteiksme bija cieta un nepielūdzama ― his facial expression was hard and relentless
* (of faces, their features) hard, stiff
    kad pēc vēja brāzmas viņš pacēla seju augstāk, tā bija kļuvusi pelēki cieta ka sastingusi zeme ― when after the wind gust he raised his face, it had become gray hard, stiff like frozen ground
* (of thoughts, ideas, promisess) hard, definite, clear, inalterable (syn. ciešs)
    ciets solījums ― solemn promise
    kluss vīru pulks... viss gvarda vārdos teikts; vien cietam zvērestam ceļ katrs roku ― the regiment of men (was) silent... all the words of the guard (oath) (were) said; every hand rose with one solemn oath
* (colloquial) rigid, definite, determined (which cannot be arbitrarily changed)
    cieta alga ― rigid wage, salary
    cietas cenas ― rigid prices
* (of movements) hard, strong, determined
    mierigiem, cietiem soļiem viņš nāca tuvāk ― with calm, strong steps he came closer
    mātes skāviens ir karsts, ciets, izmisīgs ― mother's hug is warm, strong, desperate
* (of sleep) tight (syn. ciešs)
    visa nakts tad bija pavadīta cietā, veselīgā miegā ― the whole night was spent in tight, healthy sleep
* (of water) hard (which contains salts, usually of calcium and magnesium)
    ciets ūdens mazgāšanai nav derīgs ― hard water is not appropriate for washing
* (of wind, weather) strong, sharp
    jūra bija balta un ziemeļu vējš kļuva aizvien cietāks ― the sea was white and the northern wind became increasingly harder, sharper
    ja priedes tā šūpojas, tad ir vētra, ciets laiks, kā saka tēvs ― if the pines are swaying like that, then there is a storm, hard weather, as father said / used to say
* (adverbial form; of people, objects) tight(ly) close, close together (syn. ciešs, cieši)
    cieti citu pie citas ― very close one by the other

#### Usage notes

The adverbial form cieti is the one normally used adverbially; the shorter form ciet is more frequently found as a predicative adverb meaning “closed”, “shut” (cf. German zu) or to mark imperfective status with certain verbs (e.g., iet ciet with respect to perfective aiziet).

#### Synonyms

* (of "hard, solid, rigid"): stings, stingrs, stīvs
* (of "thick"; "concentrated (look)"; "strong (movement)"; "sleep"; "close together"): ciešs

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “of "state of matter"”): šķidrs (“liquid”), gāzveidīgs (“gaseous”)
* (antonym(s) of “of "hard", including "hard water"”): mīksts

#### Derived terms

* cietība
* cietums
* cietviela

#### Related terms

* ciešs
* ciet
* cietoksnis

#### References

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