daikts

Etymology

Initially the past particle of an earlier verb *daigt (“to stab, to prick, to pierce”) (i.e., “pierced (thing)” > “(piercing) instrument” > “tool, thing”), from Proto-Baltic *daig-, an ablaut variant of Proto-Indo-European *dʰēygʷ-, *dʰīgʷ- (“to prick, to shove, to thrust, to lay”) (whence also dīgt (“to sprout, to shoot, to germinate”), q.v.), from *dʰē- (“to lay”). Cognates include Lithuanian dáiktas (cf. also dáigyti (“to prick”)).^[1]

Noun

daikts m (1st declension)

1. (colloquial) tool, instrument; also, thing

   uz galda, divas tintnīcas, gūzma rakstāmo daiktu ― on the table, two inkwells, a bunch of writing tools

   vienā istabā atpūtās ēvelsols, lielie namdara kalti, ēveles un citi daikti ― in one room there was a carpenter bench, large carpenter chisels, planes and other tools

   apbruņojies ar grābekli, kapli, lāpstu un citiem tīrīšanai vajadzīgiem daiktiem, tēvocis Antons sāk dārzā spodrības nedēļas darbus ― armed with rake, hoe, shovel and other cleaning tools, uncle Antons begins the work of cleaning week in the garden

   nevarētu ticēt, ka šie resnie pirksti diendienā rīkojas ar tiem smalkākajiem daiktiem dažādos mūzikas instrumentos, atrod visnoslēptākos bojājumus un prot tos izlabot ― one could not believe that these fat fingers handled every day the smallest gadgets, tools in various musical instruments, found the most hidden imperfections and fixed them

References