Etymologically
Log in

бздеть

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 18:29. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • [bzʲdʲetʲ][1]

Forms

бздеть (bzdetʹ) impf (perfective набзде́ть or бзднуть)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *pьzděti (“to break wind”).[1][2][3][4] The word is shared by the Slavic languages: Ukrainian бздіти (bzdity) and пездіти (pezdity), Bulgarian пъздя (pǎzdja), Serbo-Croatian bàzdjeti, Slovene pəzdéti, Czech bzdíti and Polish bździeć.[2][3] In Belarusian it seems to be missing, replaced by Belarusian пярдзець (pjardzjecʹ).[3]

It is related to Lithuanian bezdėti, Latvian bezdēt, Latin pēdō and Ancient Greek βδέω (bdéō), and probably to German fisten and Middle High German vīst;[2][3] Vasmer adds pōdex.[2] Anikin reconstructs an Indo-European *p(e)zd- or *b(e)zd-, perhaps imitative in origin, and notes that the difference between this verb and пердеть, by whether the act is audible, goes back to Indo-European, which had *perd- beside it.[3]

Semantic evolution

Besides the plain sense, Anikin records набздеть “to make a stink” and colloquial сбздеть “to lose one's nerve”, with не бзди! “don't be afraid!”, and Pskov and Smolensk dialect verbs such as бздыкать “to stink”.[3] The modern dictionaries record the slang sense “to be afraid”,[5] and Elistratov also records the slang senses “to lie”, “to be rude” and “to inform on someone”.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (vulgar) To fart silently.[5][1]
  2. (vulgar, slang) To be afraid, to lose one's nerve.[5][6][1]

Word family

  • бзднуть
  • набздеть
  • бздун
  • бздёж

Usage notes

The first person singular is not used; the third person singular is бзди́т.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 163
  3. ^ a b c d e f Anikin, A. E. (2007–2021), Russkij ètimologičeskij slovar' [Русский этимологический словарь], vols. 1–13 (A–D), Moskva: Rukopisnye pamjatniki Drevnej Rusi / Institut russkogo jazyka RAN, p. 3, 164
  4. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 431
  5. ^ a b c d Kuznetsov, S. A. (ed.) (1998), Bol'šoj tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой толковый словарь русского языка], Sankt-Peterburg: Norint, p. s.v. бздеть
  6. ^ a b Elistratov, V. S. (2000), Slovar' russkogo argo [Словарь русского арго], Moskva: Russkie slovari, p. s.v. бздеть