Thread: Russian words in English

All you know, that English absorbs many foreign words everyday.
Which Russian words you use often or can hear on streets, used by native English speakers? And what the case it was?

PS vodka, sputnik etc, are not welcome... )

Originally Posted by svar45

All you know, that English absorbs many foreign words everyday.
Which Russian words you use often or can hear on streets, used by native English speakers? And what the case it was?

PS vodka, sputnik etc, are not welcome... )

Matrioshka, balalayka, perestroika

Now new word spelling!
Matroska is open source A/V container format.
http://www.matroska.org/

Natasha - some sort of women

http://product.ebay.com/The-Natashas_IS ... rZ30534397

russkie & russki

babushka, mamushka

samovar, troika, borsch, tsar/czar, muzhik, dacha
bolshevik, samizdat, KGB, glasnost, gulag, intelligentsia,

See http://www.emory.edu/INTELNET/dar69.html
for Russian-like English neologizms with -nik suffix

I've forgot the very main thing, I mean the word "Pogrom"

Originally Posted by Wowik

samovar, troika, borsch, tsar/czar ...

Reminds me of the old Woody Allen joke that the Russian Revolution occurred when the peasants finally figured out that the "czar" and the "tsar" were the same person.

:P

I'm not sure about American English, but in British English we have a common word "Bolshy" which is used to described people who are a bit rude and aggresive or arrogant or stroppy. It derives from Bolshevik.

You can find "Bliny" in the shops.

Intelligentsia entered English from Russian.
Tundra entered English from Russian.
The Hizbollah favourite: Katyusha rockets.
Beatnik is derived from the Slavic -nik suffix.
Robot was coined by a Czech and is derived from Czech, but shares the same root as Russian rabota (work), Ukrainian robota (work)

The Hizbollah favourite: Katyusha rockets.

a kalashnikov?

mda, it's not funny
such type of representation of Russian influence on English.

dacha - дача

Происходит ли английское слово "steppe" от русского слова " степь", или оно заимствовано из другого языка?

Originally Posted by basurero

Происходит ли английское слово "steppe" от русского слова " степь", или оно заимствовано из другого языка?

То же с tundra?

Originally Posted by Guin

dacha - дача

было

Originally Posted by basurero

Происходит ли английское слово "steppe" от русского слова " степь", или оно заимствовано из другого языка?

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=steppe

Originally Posted by Ramil

То же с tundra?

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=tundra

Cossack - from Ukranian/Polish/Russian

caftan - http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/kaftan

apparatchik - http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/apparatchik
apparat - http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/apparat

duma - http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/duma

А вот этоя я не знал!
mammoth - http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/mammoth