gudrs

Latvian

Etymology

From the same stem as the verb gūt (“to gain, to obtain”) (q.v.). From a parallel form gust (< *gud-ti; compare Lithuanian gùsti (“to get accustomed; to teach oneself”), present tense gundù) came *gudras, from which gudrs (the u-stem form of the Lithuanian cognate is apparently secondary). The semantic evolution of this word was probably: “(something) caught, grabbed” > “one who by catching got used to, taught himself something” (at first applied to dogs and other animals) > “intelligent,” or then maybe: “one who catches, grabs” > “resourceful” > “smart, intelligent.” (Note that a 17th-cendury dictionary mentions modrs (“alert, vigilant”) as a synonym of gudrs.) Cognates include Lithuanian gudrùs (“intelligent, resourceful”), dialectal gùdras.^[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

gudrs (definite gudrais, comparative gudrāks, superlative visgudrākais, adverb gudri)

1. intelligent, wise (having extensive knowledge, well-developed thinking, rich experience)

   gudrs cilvēks, ārsts ― intelligent person, doctor

   bataljona komandieris - lielisks vīrs, un gudrs: lai kādu jautājumu viņam uzprasi, visu atbildēs, izlasījis veselu bibliotēku ― the battalion commander: a great man, and intelligent: whatever question you asked him, he answered it, he has read a whole library

   vienkāršais cilvēks, visu darbu darītājs, pazīst dabas norises un parādības, darba procesus, pazīst cilvēkus, viņu dzīves daudzveidīgos sakarus un attiecības; tāds cilvēks ir gudrs ― a simple person, who does all the work, knows natural processes and phenomena, (knows) work, knows people, their lives' multifaceted connections and relations; such a person is wise

2. intelligent, wise (expressing such qualities)

   gudrs skatiens ― wise, intelligent look

   gudras acis ― wise eyes

   gudra seja ― intelligent face

   kad viņš noņem cepuri, tad var redzēt, ka piere viņam augsta un gudra ― when he took his hat off, then we could see that his forehead is high and wise

3. smart, clever (one who quickly understands, notices, remembers; astute)

   gudrs skolēns, māceklis ― clever student, apprentice

   māmiņa bija lepna par mums, stāstīja, cik mēs nopietni, gudri un saprātīgi bērni ― mom was proud of us, he told (everybody) how we were serious, clever, intelligent children

4. (of animals) smart, clever (well trained; perceptive)

   gudrs suns, zirgs ― clever dog, horse

   gudri dzīvnieki instinktīvi jūt negaisus cilvēku attiecībās ― clever animals instinctively feel a thunderstorm in human relations (when one is happening)

   gudrais pelēcis laipoja uzmanīgi, it kā zinādams, kas viņam šodien vedams ― the smart gray (horse) maneuvered carefully, as if knowing who he would be taking today

5. (figuratively, of objects) smart, intelligent

   gudrās mašīnas palīdz radīt celtnes, jūras un Visuma kuģus ― the intelligent machines help creat buildings, ships, and spaceships

6. (of mental activities) intelligent, clever, wise (which exemplifies the use of intelligence, wisdom)

   gudra doma ― intelligent, wise thought

   gudrs lēmums ― wise decision

   guddra mīlestība ― wise love

   humānismam jābūt gudram ― humanism must be wise

7. (of activities and their products) intelligent, wise (rich in thoughts, ideas, insights)

   gudra grāmata, runa, lekcija ― intelligent book, talk, lecture

   gudra tautas paruna: “darbs dara meistaru” ― a wise folk saying: “work makes the master”

8. smart, resourceful, cunning (who quickly orients himself in many different circumstances, who can use the circumstances to his favor)

   Pēteris - tas bija gudrs: izmācījās par drēbnieku un apprecēja bagātu sievu ― Pēteris, that was a smart one: he studied to be a tailor and then married a rich wife

9. wise, prudent

   tu biji gudra, mīļā dvēsele, tu gribēji sevi taupīt un sargāt ― you were wise, dear soul, you wanted to save and protect yourself

   bet arī līdzi ņemt zēnu nebija necik gudri, jo mēs varbūt jau pēc dažām stundām dosimies kaujā ― but also to take the boy along was not at all wise, because we may have already been a few hours in the battle (zone)

Declension

	masculine (vīriešu dzimte)			feminine (sieviešu dzimte)
	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)		singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	gudrs	gudri		gudra	gudras
accusative (akuzatīvs)	gudru	gudrus		gudru	gudras
genitive (ģenitīvs)	gudra	gudru		gudras	gudru
dative (datīvs)	gudram	gudriem		gudrai	gudrām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	gudru	gudriem		gudru	gudrām
locative (lokatīvs)	gudrā	gudros		gudrā	gudrās
vocative (vokatīvs)	—	—		—	—

indefinite declension (nenoteiktā galotne) of gudrs

Synonyms

• (of "wise, rational"): prātīgs, saprātīgs
• (of "understanding quickly"): vērīgs, apdāvināts
• (of "smart, cunning"): viltīgs
• (of "prudent"): apdomīgs

Antonyms

• dumjš
• idiotisks
• muļķīgs
• neprātīgs
• stulbs

Derived terms

• gudrinieks, gudriniece
• gudrība
• gudrot

References

1. Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “gudrs”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN