Latvian

American  

[lat-vee-uhn, laht-] / ˈlæt vi ən, ˈlɑt- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Latvia, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

• Latvians
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Latvia.

2. Also the Baltic language of Latvia.

Latvian British  

/ ˈlætvɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Latvia, its people, or their language

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noun

1. Also called: Lettish. the official language of Latvia: closely related to Lithuanian and belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European family

2. a native or inhabitant of Latvia

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Latvians
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Latvian

First recorded in 1915–20; Latvi(a) + -an

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Latvian Latvians

U.K. counterterrorism police are questioning two Latvian men who broke into RAF Molesworth, a British military base used as a U.S. intelligence hub.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Another link, to a native Russian suspect with a Latvian passport, is being investigated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

First RFS, with whom he won the Latvian Cup, and then Gorica in Croatia.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

The second held Latvian and Russian passports and was believed to have acted as logistics coordinator and instructor for the attack.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

The Latvian queen, Ruta Skadi, flew with Serafina Pekkala’s company for many days and nights, through fog and whirlwind, over regions devastated by flood or landslide.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

But in the Baltic territories ruled by Germany’s Gen. Paul von Hindenburg, the national development of Belarusians, Latvians and Lithuanians was encouraged to weaken Polish influence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

But the Swedes, winners at the 1994 and 2006 Winter Games, had no trouble dismissing the Latvians at the Santagiulia Arena to move onto a meeting with the unbeaten Americans on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

"Do they want to fight us? We do not need war. I am convinced that the Lithuanian people do not need war either. Neither do Poles, Latvians and Estonians."

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

There are no indications that Kariņš himself faces charges as part of the probe into the scandal that erupted last year and caused public outrage among Latvians.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024

“He says we must hurry, that this is a travel stop. A large group is coming later today. He says that Latvians, Estonians, and Ukranians have already passed through,” said Mother.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

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