See also: lamat, lamât, and lámat

Slovak

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Etymology

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Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lamati, iterative of *lomiti (to break), from Proto-Indo-European *lem- (to break).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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lámať impf (perfective zlomiť)

  1. (transitive) to break
    • 1921, Stanislav Klíma, Povesti zo Slovenska. Turčianske jazero:
      Hneď kázal 100 chlapom skaly lámať, aby voda mohla sa predrať strečnianskym priesmykom do trenčianskej župy.
      He ordered 100 men to break the stone, so that the water can pass through the defile to the Trenčín district.
  2. (transitive) to refract (to cause (light) to change direction)
    Synonym: lomiť
  3. (transitive, colloquial) to break (a record)
  4. (transitive) to speak a broken language (to speak with faulty grammar, especially about non-native speakers)
    • 1894 – 1895, Martin Kukučín, Cestopisné črty. Rukopisy. Ostrov Brač v Dalmácii, v decembri:
      Láme nemčinu s jedným poručíkom, krásnym čiernym šuhajom a s dákymsi starým pánom v hodvabnej čiernej čiapočke a sivých šatách.
      He is speaking a broken German with a certain lieutenant, a dark-skinned young man and some old man with a red silk cap and gray clothes.
  5. (reflexive with sa) to be breaking
    Synonym: lomiť
    • 1904, Jozef Gregor Tajovský, Prvé prózy. Rozprávky pre ľud. Hľadali — nenašli:
      Už len list šuští a drobná paprutina, čo láme sa im pod nohami.
      By now only the leaves rustle and the small brushwood, which is breaking under their feet.

Conjugation

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Further reading

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  • lámať”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024