Apelsin (Orange) and Oranzhereya (Greenhouse)
In any language, the names of food items can often tell us a lot about where this particular item came from. The vitamin C-rich fruit is particularly interesting, as the whole of Europe can be split quite neatly into three areas, depending on whether a given language borrowed its term for it from one of three sources:
- The Spanish naranja (originally from Sanskrit by way of Arabic);
- The Italian portogallo (in reference to oranges imported from Portugal) – funnily enough, both Italian and Portuguese actually use the “Spanish” version;
- The Dutch appelsina (meaning “Chinese apple”).
Russian, as you may notice, falls into the latter category. But there’s a trace of the first category in the language, as well, and not just in the word for the color orange – оранжевый (oranzhevyi). Back in the 17th century, oranges were quite a novelty among European nobility and quickly became a status item. Keeping an orange tree alive in a much more moderate climate was quite a feat – and soon, special orangeries began to pop up around the many palaces and manors of the continent, including in the Russian Empire, where French-speaking aristocrats were quick to adapt the word into оранжерея (oranzhereya).
Read also:
Keks (Sponge cake)
New words, especially loanwords, can sometimes be a cause of division and griping among native speakers. When it comes to contemporary Russian lexicon, you’ll find many who bristle at words like донатc (donats – “donut”) or кукис (kukis – “cookie”). “Not only are there already suitable terms in Russian, such as пончик (ponchik) or печенье (pechenye)” – they argue – “but these 'newcomers' adopt the plural form of a foreign word and use it for a singular item!”
Few in that camp, however, suspect that Russian already has a word just like that – and has had since the 19th century. Indeed, кекс (keks – “cake” or “muffin”) is actually derived from the English plural form of cake!
Read also:
Unitaz (Toilet)
From thermos and xerox to cellophane and band-aid, we’re all familiar with brand names that have become so ubiquitous that they’ve become the generic word for that product. Such is the case of the Russian term for your everyday “marble throne” – though with a little twist.
The thing is, up until the 19th century, the early “water closets” were still quite complicated contraptions and required a special frame to be installed around them to function properly. This all changed in 1884, when the British inventor Thomas Twyford introduced the world to the first entirely ceramic free-standing toilet. Fittingly enough, he dubbed this trailblazing invention Unitas – from the Latin word for “unity.” The loftily-named device proved so popular that it soon became the catch-all term in Russian, quickly merging with the word таз (taz – “basin”) in a stellar example of folk etymology.
Zont (Umbrella)
Nowadays, зонт (zont – “umbrella”) is a must-know word for any guest of the beautiful-yet-rainy St. Petersburg. But how’d it find its way into Russian? Well, that’s a funny story.
An umbrella floats on the Neva River, St. Petersburg. Credit: Natalie (@ellladee) via Unsplash
You see, in the 18th century, the Tsar Peter the Great endeavored to create the first Russian naval fleet. As the emperor was adopting the practices he had learned in the Netherlands, many of the terms used by sailors of the era, too, came directly from the Dutch language. The word zonnedeck, a kind of contronym that stands both for the sun-lit area of a ship and a cover that protects sailors from the sun, became the Russian зонтик (zontik) and began to mean any kind of sun protection, including the umbrella. So, where did the -ik go? Well, due to similarity with the diminutive Russian suffix -ик, native speakers assumed that the existence of a “zontik” implies the existence of a bigger “zont” – and the rest is history!
Read also:
Come Rain or Shine: Best Summertime Activities in St. Petersburg
For more insights, tips, and resources for Russian language learners, follow the Russian language tag.
