The origin of interesting words in Russian. Russian words with an interesting history

We don't often think about how the words we use came into being and how their meanings may have changed over time. Meanwhile, words are quite living beings. New words appear literally every day. Some do not linger in the language, while others remain. Words, like people, have their own history, their own destiny. They can have relatives, a rich pedigree, and, on the contrary, be complete orphans. The Word can tell us about one's nationality, about one's parents, about one's origin. The study of the history of vocabulary and the origin of words is an interesting science - etymology.

Railway station

The word comes from the name of the place "Vauxhall" - a small park and entertainment center near London. The Russian Tsar, who visited this place, fell in love with it - in particular, the railway. Subsequently, he commissioned British engineers to build a small railway from St. Petersburg to his country residence. One of the stations on this section of the railway was called "Vokzal", and this name later became the Russian word for any railway station.

Hooligan

The word bully is of English origin. According to one version, the surname Houlihan was once worn by a famous London brawler, who caused a lot of trouble for the residents of the city and the police. The surname has become a household name, and the word is international, characterizing a person who grossly violates public order.

Orange

Until the 16th century, Europeans had no idea about oranges at all. Russians, even more so. We don't grow oranges! And then the Portuguese navigators brought these delicious orange balls from China. And they began to trade with their neighbors. In Dutch, "apple" is appel, and "Chinese" is sien. Borrowed from the Dutch language, the word appelsien is a translation of the French phrase Pomme de Chine - "an apple from China."

Doctor

It is known that in the old days they were treated with various conspiracies and spells. The ancient healer said to the sick something like this: "Go away, illness, to the quicksands, to the dense forests ..." And he muttered various words over the ill. The word doctor is originally Slavic and is derived from the word “vrati”, which means “to speak”, “to speak”. Interestingly, from the same word comes “lie”, which for our ancestors also meant “to speak”. It turns out that in ancient times doctors lied? Yes, but this word initially did not contain a negative meaning.

Scammer

Ancient Russia did not know the Turkic word "pocket", because money was then carried in special wallets - purses. From the word "sack" and produced "swindler" - a specialist in thefts from scrotums.

Restaurant

The word "restaurant" means "strengthening" in French. This name was given in the 18th century to one of the Parisian taverns by its visitors after the owner of the establishment, Boulanger, introduced nutritious meat broth to the number of dishes on offer.

Shit

The word "shit" comes from the Proto-Slavic "govno", which means "cow" and was originally associated only with cow "cakes". "Beef" - "cattle", hence "beef", "beef". By the way, from the same Indo-European root and the English name of the cow - cow, as well as the shepherd of these cows - cowboy. That is, the expression "fucking cowboy" is not accidental, it has a deep family connection.

Heaven

One version is that the Russian word "heaven" comes from "not, no" and "bes, demons" - literally a place free from evil/demons. However, another interpretation is probably closer to the truth. Most Slavic languages have words similar to "sky", and they probably originated from the Latin word for "cloud" (nebula).

Slates

In the Soviet Union, a well-known manufacturer of rubber slippers was the Polymer plant in the city of Slantsy, Leningrad Region. Many buyers believed that the word “Slates” squeezed out on the soles was the name of the shoe. Further, the word entered the active vocabulary and became a synonym for the word "slippers".

nonsense

In the late 17th century, the French physician Gali Mathieu treated his patients with jokes.

He gained such popularity that he did not keep up with all the visits and sent his healing puns by mail.
This is how the word “nonsense” arose, which at that time meant a healing joke, a pun.
The doctor immortalized his name, but at present this concept has a completely different meaning.

When speaking a language, we rarely think about how the words we use came into being and how their meanings may have changed over time. Etymology is the name of the science of the history of vocabulary and the origin of words.

New words appear literally every day. Some do not linger in the language, while others remain. Words, like people, have their own history, their own destiny. They can have relatives, a rich pedigree, and, on the contrary, be complete orphans. The Word can tell us about one's nationality, about one's parents, about one's origin.

Railway station

Hooligan

The word bully is of English origin. It is believed that the surname Houlihan was once a well-known London brawler, who brought a lot of trouble to the inhabitants of the city and the police. The surname has become a household name, and the word is international, characterizing a person who grossly violates public order.

Shit

Orange

Until the 16th century, Europeans had no idea about oranges at all. Russians, even more so. We don't grow oranges! And then the Portuguese navigators brought these delicious orange balls from the eastern countries. And they began to trade with their neighbors. Those, of course, asked: “Where do the apples come from?” - because they have not heard of oranges, but in shape this fruit looks like an apple. Merchants honestly answered: “Apples from China, Chinese!” In Dutch, "apple" is appel, and Chinese is sien.

Doctor

In the old days, they treated with conspiracies, spells, various whispers. An ancient healer, a sorcerer, said something like this to the patient: “Go away, illness, to the quicksands, to the dense forests ...” And he muttered various words over the ill. Do you know what muttering, chatter was called until the beginning of the 19th century? Muttering, chatter was then called a lie. To mutter meant "to lie." The one who trumpets is the trumpeter, the one who weaves is the weaver, and the one who lies is the doctor.

Scammer

In Russia, swindlers were not called deceivers or thieves at all. This was the name of the masters who made the moshna, i.e. wallets.

Restaurant

Heaven

Slates

nonsense

At the end of the last century, the French physician Gali Mathieu treated his patients with jokes.
He gained such popularity that he did not keep up with all the visits and sent his healing puns by mail.
This is how the word “nonsense” arose, which at that time meant a healing joke, a pun.
The doctor immortalized his name, but at present this concept has a completely different meaning.

Railway station

Hooligan

Orange

Until the 16th century, Europeans had no idea about oranges at all. Russians, even more so. We don't grow oranges! And then the Portuguese navigators brought these delicious orange balls from the eastern countries. And they began to trade with their neighbors. Those, of course, asked: “Where do the apples come from?” - because they have not heard of oranges, but in shape this fruit looks like an apple. Merchants honestly answered: “Apples from China, Chinese!” The Dutch for "apple" is appel, and the Chinese for "apple" is sien.

Doctor

Scammer

In Russia, swindlers were not called deceivers or thieves at all. This was the name of the masters who made the moshna, i.e. wallets.

Insect

The origin of the word animal is quite obvious: from the stomach - "life". But how to explain the strange name of the insect?

To answer this question, one does not need to be either an entomologist, that is, a scientist who studies insects, or a linguist. It is enough to remember how these very insects look. Remembered? Animals with "notches" on the body are insects. By the way, pure tracing paper from the French insect - from the Latin insectum "notched, notched (animal)".

Here we will answer another simple question why insects are called boogers. Yes, because the antennae of insects resemble goat horns. You can’t call them goats - they are too small, but they are just right as boogers. Remember, Chukovsky: “Thick-legged goat-insect” ...

Heaven

Slates

The other day

Now the word the other day is almost a synonym for the word just now and means "recently, somehow the other day, but on which days, I don't remember."

However, the other day comes from the Old Russian phrase onom dni (“on that day”, that is, “on that day”), which was used as a completely accurate indication of the specific days that have already been discussed. Something like this: on the second and third of February, someone met someone in the nearest forest, and on the same days, that is, these days, that is, the other day, something happened in Paris ...

In general, with the invention and spread of calendars and chronometers, all these beautiful words have really become very outdated and have lost their true meaning. And their use is hardly justified now. If only for the red word.

nonsense

At the end of the last century, the French physician Gali Mathieu treated his patients with jokes. He gained such popularity that he did not keep up with all the visits and sent his healing puns by mail. This is how the word “nonsense” arose, which at that time meant a healing joke, a pun.

The doctor immortalized his name, but at present this concept has a completely different meaning.

Using daily words with which we are well acquainted, few people think about their origin. Meanwhile, the stories of the origin of some words and expressions are, at times, more exciting than an adventure story.

What do we know about the words that accompany us every day? We think for many their origin remains a mystery.

Words, like people, have their own “biography”. Each word has its own destiny, some have a rich pedigree, others are complete orphans. The branch of linguistics that deals with the study of the origin of words and all sorts of changes that occur to them is called etymology.

Origin of some Russian words

Historical changes greatly affect the vocabulary of the language. Over time, some words completely disappeared from the Russian language, some changed their meanings, others changed their sound and transformed into new words. For a visual example, we have collected words that are quite common in everyday life, as well as words that are vivid examples of words that have radically changed their meaning. and some words that have disappeared from the Russian language.

Word "Thanks" is one of the most commonly used. It came from the exclamation "God save." Over time, the last consonant of the word combination ceased to be pronounced, and the phrase turned into one word that expresses gratitude and is an obligatory vocabulary element of a cultured person.
Button, such a familiar, in the modern world, clothing attribute has.
It is generally accepted that the Russian word - "button" is derived from the Proto-Slavic pugv, which literally means a bunch or a small convex object. However, there are several versions of the origin of this word. According to one etymology, it is related to the Latvian "poga" - "button" and the ancient literary language of India - "puñjaḥ", which means "heap, lump". According to another version, the origin of the word button is associated with the Proto-Slavic "pǫkъ" - "bunch, bunch". According to the third, it is borrowed from the Gothic “puggs” - “bag, purse”.
Railway station- comes from the name of the place "Vauxhall" - a small park and entertainment center near London. The Russian Tsar, who visited this place, fell in love with it - in particular, the railway. Subsequently, he commissioned British engineers to build a small railway from St. Petersburg to his country residence. One of the stations on this section of the railway was called "Vokzal", and this name later became the Russian word for any railway station.
Meaning of the word "nonsense" everyone is well aware - nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. But the history of the appearance of this word in the spoken language has several completely different versions.
According to one version, it is believed that this French word (galimatias - confusion, nonsense) was introduced into the literary language by Michel Montaigne (1533-1592) - a French philosopher, writer and politician of the Renaissance, approximately in 1580, meaning jargon des galimatias - incomprehensible jargon.
According to this version, the word came from student slang, which thus referred to verbal competitions in scholarly disputes, which were very reminiscent of cockfights (Latin galli - cock and Greek mathia - knowledge).
Another version of the origin of this word suggests that it came to French from Spanish, in which it arose under the influence of the Arabic "a" lima - to know, to be knowledgeable, to understand. I must say that the Arabic language was taught in Spanish universities, and the word is quite could arise in the language of students studying a difficult and incomprehensible language.
There are supporters of another version, who believe that the word "nonsense" happened from the French galimafree - bourda, and it is associated with a poorly prepared dish. Initially, this was the name of the stew, which was prepared from various products at hand.
There is also an anecdotal version about a French lawyer who was absent-minded and spoke quickly. Once, in his speech, while defending a client whose rooster was stolen, instead of gallus Matthiae (Matthew's rooster), he said galli Matthias (Matthew's rooster), which, of course, amused the audience.
And another interesting version, according to which origin of the word "nonsense" associated with the name of the Parisian physician Galli Mathieu. This doctor gained popularity because, in addition to traditional treatment, he also treated his patients with laughter. When writing prescriptions for his patients, on the reverse side he always wrote several jokes that were no less popular than medicines.
Soon, Dr. Mathieu gained such popularity that he did not have time for all the visits, then he began to send his healing puns to the sick by mail. This is how the word “nonsense” appeared, and it meant a healing joke, a pun, and Dr. Galli Mathieu became the founder of the now quite popular laughter therapy.
Which version origin of the word "nonsense" true - unknown, but most scientists are sure that this word entered the languages \u200b\u200bthanks to Dr. Galli Mathieu.
Scammer so in Russia they called not deceivers or thieves, but craftsmen who made moshna, or in modern terms - wallets.
Word "blinds"(jalousie) in French means jealousy. The history of the invention of the device itself is not reliably known, and there are several versions of the origin of the word "blinds".
The word jalousie in French means jealousy. Since this is a French word, there are certain rules for its pronunciation. In particular: in French words, the stress is placed on the last syllable, and the word blinds is no exception in this regard. Therefore - when pronouncing the word blinds, we must remember that the stress is placed on the last syllable. And one more rule - the word blinds does not bow.
The history of the invention of blinds not known for certain.
There are different versions and assumptions, but most historians believe that wooden planks tied together with a rope first appeared in Arab culture. They were ideal for harems where jealous men hid their concubines.
According to one version in Europe blinds spread thanks to French fashionistas and courtesans. In contrast to the then popular shutters brought from the Arab countries, "boards on strings" let in daylight, but hid the beauties from prying eyes.
Word "restaurant" means "strengthening" in French. This name was given in the 18th century to one of the Parisian taverns by its visitors after the owner of the establishment, Boulanger, introduced nutritious meat broth to the number of dishes on offer.
, because it appeared long before the advent of aviation. The interpretation, the meaning of the word "aircraft" is found in the 19th century. So in Dahl's dictionary, an airplane is referred to as an independent device capable of moving quickly, only not through the air, but through the water ...
The encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron of 1903 also has several interpretations of this word. Description of the capture of Noteburg fortress by the troops of Peter I:
“... the flotilla blocked it from the side of Lake Ladoga; a connection between both banks of the Neva is arranged on an airplane. "The word airplane here means a self-propelled ferry, driven by the power of a river stream."
In the same encyclopedia there is another interpretation of this word. "The plane is a hand loom with a device for more convenient transfer of the shuttle."
But, approximately in the thirties of the XX century, the word aircraft lost its original meaning and became associated only with devices that independently fly through the air.

Words that have changed their meaning

Dashing once it meant “bad”, “bad”, but nowadays it is used in almost the opposite meaning - “daring”, “brave”.
Infection at the end of the 18th century, this word meant “charm”, “attractiveness”. Through the ages, it has completely changed its meaning. Today, the word contagion is used as a swearword, or is used in the sense - "the source of an infectious disease."
Moron came from the Greek - "Idiotes" and meant not a fool at all, but a "private person". In the language of the Byzantine Christian clergy, this word was used to refer to the laity, and since the laity was not respected, the word acquired a negative connotation.
Berk came from "voloh", which means shepherd. So the saying - "The boobie of the king of heaven" can be considered a compliment.
blockhead- in Old Russian "massive block", "rock".
bastard the word that came from Latin meant a peasant, a village dweller.
Cretin it also came from Latin and had the meaning - a Christian.
Skotina, this word comes from the German "Skat". Its original meaning is "money", "wealth", "treasure".
Scoundrel did not apply to swear words and meant "a recruit unfit for military service."
Ryakha had nothing to do with the face. This word served as a definition of a neat, tidy person. It becomes clear why an unscrupulous person is called a “slob”, and for some reason the antonym has acquired a completely different meaning.

Words that have disappeared from our dialect

In 2013, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Dahl dictionary, Yandex conducted a study to determine how many words from it are used by the current generation. It turned out that almost 40 thousand words disappeared from the Russian language.

“The lost words (18%, or about 40 thousand) from Dahl’s dictionary can be considered completely out of use: during the year, people did not look for anything using these words and did not even ask about their meaning.”

However, the obsolescence of obsolete words, as well as their replacement by others, is a completely natural phenomenon for any living language. Some words disappear because the objects and phenomena by which they were designated disappear from everyday life, others - due to the appearance of more convenient synonyms.

single child is the only son of his parents.
Zalnik- cemetery, graves, churchyard.
Delyonka- a woman constantly busy with business, needlework.
Gunya, gunka- old, tattered clothes.
In vain- in vain, in vain.
Alcate- eager to want.
Gashnik- belt, belt, lace for tying pants.
Dokuka- an annoying request, also a boring, boring business.
Dondezhe- until.
butch, disappeared forever from our language, and was once familiar to everyone and was used in the meaning of buzzing, buzzing.

Etymology, as you can see, is a very fascinating science. Sometimes the story of the origin of a word or phraseological unit turns out to be more interesting than another adventure story.

Everyone who has studied more or less well knows about borrowed words, obsolete ones, and neologisms. But how surprising it is to find out that the words that I used all my life and considered them to be my own, it turns out, have completely non-Russian roots!

1. Doctor
It is known that the ancient healers treated the sick with conspiracies. Usually they said something like: “Go away, illness, to the quicksands, to the dense forests,” and so on. The word doctor is originally Slavic and is derived from the word “vrati”, which means “to speak”, “to speak”. Interestingly, from the same word comes “lie”, which for our ancestors also meant “to speak”. It turns out that in ancient times doctors lied? In fact, it is, only initially this word did not have a negative connotation.

2. Hooligan
The word bully is of English origin. According to one version, the surname Houlihan was once worn by a famous London brawler, who caused a lot of trouble for the residents of the city and the police. Over time, the surname became a household name, and the word itself became international, denoting a person who grossly violates public order.

3. Station

This word comes from the name of the place "Vauxhall" - a small park and entertainment center near London. The Russian tsar, who visited this place, fell in love with it, and especially with the railway. Subsequently, he commissioned British engineers to build a small railway from St. Petersburg to his country residence. One of the stations on this section of the railway was called "Vokzal", and this name later became the Russian word for any railway station.

4. Fraudster

In Ancient Russia, the Turkic word "pocket" was not known, because money was then carried in special purses - purses. From the word "purse" and produced "swindler" - a person who stole money from the sack.

5. Heaven

One of the versions of the appearance of this word is that the Russian word "heaven" comes from a combination of "not, no" and "demons, demons" - that is, it literally means a place free from demons. However, there is another version, which is probably closer to the truth. Most Slavic languages have words similar to "sky", and they probably originated from the Latin word for "cloud" (nebula).

6. Slates

Who doesn't know this word? It seems that there is no such Russian-speaking person who would not use it every summer, calling them rubber slippers. But where did this word come from? Here's the thing: in the Soviet Union, a well-known manufacturer of rubber slippers was the Polymer plant, which was located in the city of Slantsy, Leningrad Region. Many buyers believed that the word “Slates” squeezed out on the soles meant the name of the shoe. Further, the word entered the active vocabulary and became a synonym for the word "slippers".

7. Orange
Until the 16th century, Europeans had no idea at all about the existence of oranges. Russian people - all the more so, because oranges did not grow in Russia! Oranges became famous after they were brought from China by Portuguese sailors, who began to trade them with their neighbors, calling these exotic fruits “Chinese apples”. In Dutch, "apple" is appel, and "Chinese" is sien. Borrowed from the Dutch language, the word appelsien is a translated French phrase pomme de Chine - "apple from China".

8. Nonsense
At the end of the 17th century, there lived a French doctor named Gali Mathieu. He was known for treating his patients with jokes. The doctor gained such popularity that one day he began to miss all the visits and even had to send his healing puns by mail. It is believed that this is how the word “nonsense” arose, which at that time meant a healing joke, a pun.
The doctor, of course, immortalized his name, but the word, which has firmly entered the Russian language, now has a completely different meaning.

Portal for the student. Self-training

Railway station

Hooligan

Orange

Doctor

Scammer

Restaurant

Shit

Heaven

Slates

nonsense

Railway station

Hooligan

Shit

Orange

Doctor

Scammer

Restaurant

Heaven

Slates

nonsense

Origin of some Russian words

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