I'm feeling fairly random today. I'm in the middle of finals - just finished
the major paper of the semester (it's finally done!) but my final exam for my
other class is still coming up on Monday. It feels like I'm being pulled in a
thousand different directions, bouncing from one project to the next.

Still, I've been really productive the last week and my to-do list is slowly
getting chipped away. I'm working on a post on Demonstratives for next week
after the exam and trying to decide what I want to write about next. There's
so much! It's hard to choose.

I learned something cool the other day. Did you know that the word for letter,
I mean letter as in a or b or c, not the kind you write home to Mom (that's
_vēstule_ , by the way), uses a similar root as the words for magic and magic-
users? I wondered if they are related (and it turns out that they are!). I
could see people thinking letters and those who could read them were magical,
couldn't you?

Today's post is all about the magic of combining letters together into words
and spells of sentences.

  * **burts** : letter of the alphabet [slider title="decline me"] _burts_ , m, 1. dekl.  
_vsk_.: burts, burta, burtam, burtu, ar burtu, burtā  
_dsk_.: burti, burtu, burtiem, burtus, ar burtiem, burtos [/slider]

The very simplest building block of a word is the letter. There are several
words that do build for certain off of this - burtnīca, for example - and all
relate to copying and printing in some way.

  * **burvis** : spellcaster (masc.), wizard [slider title="decline me"] _burvis_ , m, 2. dekl.  
_vsk_.: burvis, burvja, burvim, burvi, ar burvi, burvī  
_dsk_.: burvji, burvju, burvjiem, burvjus, ar burvjiem, burvjos [/slider]

**burve** : spellcaster (fem.), witch [slider title="decline me"] _burve_ , f,
5. dekl.  
_vsk_.: burve, burves, burvei, burvi, ar burvi, burvē  
_dsk_.: burves, burvju, burvēm, burves, ar burvēm, burvēs [/slider]

While I've given the basic translation here of "wizard" and "witch", as well
as "spell-caster", the definitions are rather loose and refer generally to any
type of magic-user.

  * **burtot** : to spell or sound out [slider title="conjugate me"] _burtot_ , 2. konj. (long)  
_tag._ burtoju, burto, burto, burtojam, burtojat  
_pag._ burtoju, burtoji, burtoja, burtojām, burtojāt  
_nak._ burtošu, burtosi, burtos, burtosim, burtosiet / burtosit  
_pav._ burto, burtojiet [/slider]

The dictionaries give this definition, however, it is a bit confusing. This is
to spell out as in sounding out words when you read unfamiliar ones aloud.
It's generally associated with children learning to read.

  * **burt** : to conjure, to practice magic [slider title="conjugate me"] _burt_ , 1. konj.  
_tag._ buru, bur, bur, buram, burat  
_pag._ būru, būri, būra, būrām, būrāt  
_nak._ buršu, bursi, burs, bursim, bursiet / bursit  
_pav._ bur, buriet [/slider]

Here's where it gets interesting. _Burtot_ is _to spell out_ , but _burt_ is
_to cast spells_. If you prefix _burt_ with _ap-_ , you get _apburt_ , _to
bewitch_.

Are they *really* related? I don't know. There's certainly enough cognates
that operate this way in English and while I am a language geek, I'm not a
lexicography geek. They are similar enough to make me smile - and just as
importantly, it's an interesting little tidbit to ensure they stick in my
memory.

**Edited to Add:** Thanks to Dace, we have confirmation! They are definitely
related! See the comments for her great story. :)

  * **burvestība** : magic, spell [slider title="decline me"] _burvestība_ , f, 4. dekl.  
_vsk_.: burvestība, burvestības, burvestībai, burvestību, ar burvestību,
burvestībā  
_dsk_.: burvestības, burvestību, buvestībām, burvestības, ar burvestībām,
burvestībās [/slider]

Finally, we end with magic itself. It's a flexible word. In the singular, it
could be talking about magic as a large overall concept or a small magic, as
in a single spell or working. When this is used in the plural, it is
definitely talking about several spells. It can be countable or uncountable,
depending on context.