OriginFrom an unattested verb *nikt, similar in meaning to the Lithuanian cognate (see below; compare also Latvian dialectal verb nikties (“to annoy, to disturb”)), formed with an extra -n (compare verb īgt, adjective īgns); *nikt is derived from Proto-Indo-European *nēyk-, *nik- (“to attack, to start quickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *ney- (“to be in motion, to be excited; to shine”). Cognates include Lithuanian ni̇̀kti (“to tackle, to get quickly (to work)”), Russian прони́кнуть (proníknutʹ, “to penetrate”).
- wild, furious, raging (having a propensity to attack)
“nikns gailis” — wild, angry rooster
“nikns bullis” — wild, raging bull
“nikni suņi klūp man virsū” — wild dogs pounced on me
- angry, furious, harsh
“ko tu šodien tik nikns?” — why are you so angry today?
“nikns sargs” — angry guard, watch
““tā!” Janko kļuva arvien niknāks” — “that one!” Janko got angrier and angrier
- angry, furious, ferocious
“nikns lauvas rēciens” — ferocious lion's roar
“niknas suņa rejas” — angry dog barks
“nikna atbilde” — angry answer
- figurativelyangry, wild, raging (strong in its effects, dangerous, intense)
“nikna kauja” — wild, raging battle
“nikna apšaude” — furious gunfire
“nikna slimība” — unrelenting disease
Formsniknais(definite) · niknāks(comparative) · visniknākais(superlative) · nikni(adverb) · nikns(masculine, nominative, singular) · nikni(masculine, nominative, plural) · nikna(feminine, nominative, singular) · niknas(feminine, nominative, plural) · nikna(genitive, masculine, singular) · niknu(genitive, masculine, plural) · niknas(feminine, genitive, singular) · niknu(feminine, genitive, plural) · niknam(dative, masculine, singular) · nikniem(dative, masculine, plural) · niknai(dative, feminine, singular) · niknām(dative, feminine, plural) · niknu(accusative, masculine, singular) · niknus(accusative, masculine, plural) · niknu(accusative, feminine, singular) · niknas(accusative, feminine, plural)
Source: Wiktionary — CC BY-SA 4.0