krievs

From earlier *kreiv-, from a Slavic stem *kriv-, which has the same source as Latvian kreiss (“left”) (q.v.). At first this was the name of a Baltic tribe that lived in the area near Pskov, an area also inhabited by many Slavs (ancestors of today's Russians), who were likewise called “kriviči” (Old East Slavic кривичи (kriviči)). Old Latvians (initially Latgalians) therefore used the name *kreivi > krievi to refer not only to the neighboring Baltic tribe, but also to their Slavic neighbors, and later on generalized it to all Russians.[1] More at Krivichs.

• IPA^(key): [kɾìews]

krievs m (1st declension, feminine form: krieviete)

1. a Russian, a Russian man, a man from Russia or of Russian descent

   sarunāties ar krievu ― to talk with a Russian

   krievi ir skaitliski lielākā slāvu tauta ― the Russians are numerically the largest Slavic people

2. (genitive plural) Russian, pertaining to Russia and its people

   krievu valoda ― the Russian language

   krievu literatūra ― Russian literature

   krievu māksla ― Russian art

• Krievija
• krievisks
• krievu valoda