10 words that only pretend to be Russian

These borrowings are so firmly entrenched in the language that it is not easy to believe in their foreign origin.

1. Bogatyr

Scientists are still arguing about the etymology of this word. But still, according to the official version, it is believed that the "hero"Bogatyr - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language of Krylov, a strong and mighty warrior, a hero of Russian fairy tales, is a word of Turkic origin. In the languages ​​of this group, for example in Mongolian, baγatur just means "courageous warrior". And the heroes themselves were heroes not only of the Russian epic: there are batyrs and bayatirs in Turkic and Mongolian tales.

2. Cucumber

The ancient Greeks called this vegetable ἄωρος, that is, "unripe", and with some changes the same word stuck in the Russian language. There is a logic in this name: cucumbersCucumber - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Vasmer, unlike other pumpkin seeds (pumpkin, melon, watermelon), are really eaten unripe.

3 and 4. Fur coat and skirt

We have grouped these two words for a reason. They both come from the same Arabic word ǰubba - "lightweight outerwear with long sleeves." True, in Russian language came in different ways: "fur coat"Shuba - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language we owe it to German, and the "skirt"Skirt - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language - Polish language. It may seem strange that the "skirt" worn on the lower torso is derived from a word for outerwear. But do not be confused by this: earlier, sweaters were also called skirts. This is also stated in the dictionary.Skirt - Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary Dahl.

5. Paint

This verbDraw - Krylov's Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language appeared in Russian only in the 18th century. We borrowed it from Polish: rysowac means "to draw". At the same time, the Polish word also has a foreign language ancestor: this is the German reißen, which has the same meaning.

6. Kitchen

Another Polish word: kuchnia - "cooking room". It got into Polish from Old High German (kuchī̆na), and there - from Latin (coquere, "to cook"). Most researchers believe that the "kitchen"Kitchen - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Fasmer appeared in Russian in the late 17th - early 18th centuries. Before that, the cooking room was called very transparently: "cook", "cook" and "concoction".

7. Bully

The third and last borrowing from the Polish language on this list. In Polish zabijakaBully - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language - "a person who likes to start fights, quarrels", and the word got into the Russian language with the same meaning. It is interesting that the Polish noun from the verb zabić - "to kill".

8. Hussar

A cavalryman in a high shako hat, short uniform and leggings is by no means a Russian invention. The word "hussar"Gusar - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language of Krylov borrowed from Hungarian: huszár - "twentieth". According to Hungarian traditions, only one out of twenty people who entered the military service became a cavalryman - a hussar.

9. Money

"Money"Money - Krylov's etymological dictionary of the Russian language, or rather "money", got into the Russian language in the XIV century during the Mongol-Tatar yoke. The word tanga / tenge in the Turkic languages ​​means "coin": silver coins were just the main currency in many parts of Russia.

10. Cutlet

CutletCutlet - Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language so often found in the diet of Russians - and with pastaAn excerpt from the TV series "Streets of Broken Lanterns", and with mashed potatoes. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine that this word is not Russian. But it really is: côtelette is a French word with the same meaning, derived from côte - rib.