The Russian language has been forming for many centuries. If now you find ancient Russian texts, it is unlikely that you will even be able to read them. Much less understand what is written in them.
Language transforms under the influence of time continuously. New words appear. Old ones disappear.
Many words are simply no longer needed. And some appear because of the appearance of new processes or objects. But no language changes abruptly. It always happens smoothly and gradually.
That is why we still sometimes use some old Russian words in speech. Rarely, but we do. But which ones? We don't always even realize that they are old words.
Rare words of the Russian language
Авось (Avos’)
This word is still alive today — usually in the expression “надеяться на авось”, which means “to hope for the best” or “to rely on luck.”
Its exact origin is unclear, but the most common theory connects it to the combination of “а” (and) and “осе” (this, that) — roughly meaning “well, maybe.”
Вприкуску (Vprikusku)
Nowadays it means “to drink tea while eating something sweet.” In the past, it referred to a charming old custom: people would bite small pieces of sugar while sipping tea, instead of dissolving the sugar in it.
Покумекать (Pokumekat’)
To this day, some people still use this old verb to mean «to discuss» or «to consider» something. This word also has several versions of its origin: Still used by some people, this funny old verb means “to think something over” or “to discuss.” Its possible origins:
- from мекать — “to reason, to think,” or
- from dialect куметь — “to understand.”
Оклематься (Oklemat’sya)
A well-known word meaning “to recover” or “to feel better,” often after illness. It dates back to Proto-Slavic roots and originally sounded like “оклечетать,” which meant “to heal.”
Галдеть (Galdet’)
This word still means “to make noise” or “to chatter loudly.”
It may come from галда — “a noisy conversation,” or from the Gothic gōljan — “to shout a greeting.”
Пенять (Penyat’)
Usually heard in the expression “пенять на себя” — “to have only yourself to blame.”
It comes from Old Russian пеня, which was borrowed from Polish meaning “fine” or “penalty.”
Another possible root is the Latin poena — “punishment.”
Распоясался (Raspojassalsya)
Today it means “to misbehave” or “to lose self-control.” Its literal meaning is “to take off one’s belt.”
In ancient Russia, it was considered improper for a man to appear in public without being belted. Only the most careless or shameless would do so.
Яблоко (Yabloko)
You might be surprised, but “apple” is one of the oldest words in the Russian language. Originally it simply meant “a round object.” It comes from the Celtic group of languages, where it referred specifically to “the fruit of the apple tree.”
Старый (Stary)
The word “old” comes from Lithuanian, where it once meant “big” or “strong.” It wasn’t an insult — it showed respect and status. In Old Icelandic, a similar word meant “brave” or “powerful.”
All these words prove that language changes gradually. And some words with thousands of years of history remain with us forever.
Some words are self-created, influenced by time and circumstance. And some are created by people. For example, by writers. But it doesn't matter where the words in our speech come from. The main thing is to pronounce and write them correctly.
Current trends show how rapid progress is. There have been more discoveries and changes in the last 100 years than in the 500 years before that. The same is happening with language development.
Learn Russian so that you don't get into mistakes and always speak correctly and beautifully. And knowing the origin of words will help you learn the history and culture of the country.
