Language, as we know, is a most curious thing. And when it comes to etymology, the truth is that very few words in any modern language truly “belong” to it; almost every word can eventually be traced to one of the numerous proto-languages once spoken by humanity. And in a nation as historically wide-ranging as Russia, the lexicons of its many cultures and ethnic groups inevitably intertwine and exchange new terms between each other. So, for the purposes of this article, we’ll be looking at words that were either formed by Russian speakers or became widespread due to their adoption into the Russian language.

Beluga

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This adorable denizen of the Arctic Ocean, as well as its fish namesake (a sturgeon found in the Black Sea), both take their name from the Russian word белый (belyi – “white”). In essence, beluga means “the white one.”

A note for learners: in modern Russian, the two animals are actually differentiated by their spelling, with белуха (belukha) referring to the cute cetacean and белуга (beluga) – to the black caviar-rich fish.

Bridge (card game)

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This four-player card game originated in the 19th century among the Russian community in Constantinople (now Istanbul). Its name at the time, biritch, is assumed to be a form of бирюч (biryutch), an archaic Russian term for a herald.

In the English language, it soon became bridge and re-entered Russian as бридж (bridzh) – a direct transliteration of the English name!

Steppe

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This is the oldest borrowed word on our list; old enough to have been used by Shakespeare himself! It wound its way into the English language by way of German or French, which took it from the Russian степь (step’) meaning a flat, grassy plain – such as the Great Eurasian Steppe.

Its origins beyond the Russian language are unclear, with several theories linking it to numerous word roots meaning “to warm,” “to trample,” “to extend,” or “to cut down” in a variety of proto-languages.

Shaman

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Though nowadays we associate this word with many cultures around the world, its origins lie – at least in part – with the Russian word шаман (shaman), which in itself came from the language of the Evenki, an indigenous people of the Russian North. Though it may be traced even further into Sanskrit, it entered wide usage after Nicolaes Witsen, a Dutch statesman, wrote his 17th-century account of life among the peoples of Siberia.

Parka

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A highly essential piece of clothing for visitors of St. Petersburg, this resilient jacket takes its name from парка (parka), a word originating from the language of the Nenets people, who inhabit the Yamal Peninsula in the north of Russia.

Mammoth

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The Russian word мамонт (mamont), which had spread into English and other languages a few centuries ago, comes from not one, but several languages spoken by indigenous peoples of Siberia, as it is where the remains of these tremendous animals were first found. In most cases, this word translates roughly to “earth-horn” – either because their massive tusks were found buried in the frozen soil or because they were believed to live under the earth like giant moles.

Bonus: Torg / Torv

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Speakers of any Nordic language would be well familiar with this word, which means “square” or “plaza” in any of the Scandinavian nations. Owing to the ancient history of trade between the regions, it actually derives from a word in Old East Slavic (the language of letopisi) that would have once referred to commodities and, by extension, the marketplace! In modern Russian, торг (torg) nowadays denotes the act of trading or haggling.

Want to learn more Russian language tidbits? Check out our feature on the fascinating origins of Russian words or check the Etymology tag. Did you know that the Russian alphabet used to have four other letters? Learn about them here – or check out the Russian Language tag for countless other articles on the topic.