mežs

From Proto-Baltic *medya-s and *medis (genitive *meža, also yielding *meža-s by analogy), from Proto-Indo-European *medʰi-, *medʰyo- (“middle; in-between”).

mežs

1. forest

From earlier *mežas, from parallel forms Proto-Baltic *medya-s and *medis (genitive *meža, also yielding *meža-s by analogy), from Proto-Indo-European *medʰi-, *medʰyo- (“middle; in-between”). The original meaning was “(that which is) in the middle, in-between” > “forest” (since long ago villages were like little islands between stretches of forest, “what is between (villages)” = “forest”). Cognates include Lithuanian mẽdis (“tree, wood”), dialectal mẽdžias (“tree, forest”), Old Prussian median (“forest”), Sudovian mejdo (“tree”) (< *mēdo), Proto-Slavic *medya, *medyu (Russian межа́ (mežá, “balk, unplowed strip of land; border; (dial.) little forest”), ме́жду (méždu, “between, in-between”), Belarusian, Ukrainian межа́ (mežá, “balk; border; line”), Bulgarian межда́ (meždá), Czech mez, Polish miedza (“balk; border”)), Old Irish mide (“middle”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌹𐍃 (midjis), Old High German mitti, German Mitte, English middle, Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos), Latin medius. [1]

mežs m (1st declension)

1. forest (dense collection of trees and bushes on a stretch of land)

   priežu, egļu mežs ― pine, fir forest

   stādīt mežu ― to plant a forest

   meža zemenes ― forest (= wild) strawberries

   meža zvēri ― forest (= wild) animals

   meža fauna, flora ― forest fauna, flora

   meža pļava ― forest meadow

   meža klajums ― forest clearing

   meža cirtējs, mežcirtējs ― logger (lit. forest chopper)

   meža ugunsgrēks ― forest fire

   meža aizsardzība ― forest protection

   mežā aug koki, krūmi un zem tiem dažādi sīki augi ― in the forest trees and bushes grow, and under them (also) several (kinds of) small plants

• mežains
• mežmala

• medīt
• mednis