выдра

Forms

вы́дра (výdra) f anim (genitive вы́дры, nominative plural вы́дры, genitive plural выдр, relational adjective вы́дряный or вы́дровый, diminutive вы́дрочка)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic выдра (vydra), from Proto-Slavic *vydra (“otter”), whose ⟨v-⟩ is prothetic.^[1][2][3][4] The Slavic languages have Ukrainian видра (vydra), Belarusian выдра (vydra), Bulgarian видра (vidra), Serbo-Croatian vȉdra, Slovene vídra, Czech vydra and Polish wydra.^[5][2] Indo-European ⟨u⟩ became Russian ⟨ы⟩, before which the ⟨в⟩ developed.^[6]

Together with Lithuanian ūdra and Old Prussian wudro it continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *ūdrāˀ, whose long ⟨ū⟩ may be due to Winter's law.^[1][2] This goes back to Proto-Indo-European *udréh₂, a word for a water animal, the feminine of *udrós (“of water, aquatic”).^[1][2] It was formed with the zero grade from the r-stem of the Indo-European word for water, the one in вода: the otter is “the watery one”.^[2][3][5] The cognates include Sanskrit उद्र (udrá, “water animal”), Avestan udra- (“otter”), Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra, “water snake, hydra”), Old Norse otr, Old High German ottar and the English word otter.^[5][2][1] Latin lutra has an unexplained ⟨l-⟩: Chernykh attributes it to the influence of lutum (“mud”),^[7] while Machek, comparing the word for louse, thought of a “Proto-European” origin.^[2] Russian гидра is the same word, borrowed from Greek.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a Novgorod birchbark letter, no. 104, from about the first two decades of the 13th century: „цето ти воудоро” “how many otters have you got”.^[2] The Ryazan Kormchaya of 1284 lists otter meat among unclean foods: „давленину ядять … и медведину и выдры” “they eat strangled meat … and bear meat and otters”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The pelt was a trade good: a Tobolsk act of 1609 lists выдра among the furs sent to Russia.^[9] The 18th century has the genitive plural выдр and выдер, and морская выдра “sea otter”, which Russian scholars used for the sea beaver of Kamchatka.^[10] Dal records выдра in Tambov for an emaciated person, especially a woman,^[11] and the modern dictionaries have it as a coarse word for a thin, ugly woman.^[12][13][14] In slang выдры are keys, and the criminal jargon also used the word for picklocks.^[15]

Timeline

• 1200–1220 – воудоро “otters” in Novgorod birchbark letter no. 104.^[2]
• 1284 – выдры “otters” as food in the Ryazan Kormchaya.^[8]
• 1389 – выдры in a list of animals in the Nikon Chronicle, under the year 1389.^[9]
• 1392 – выдры in a document cited by Sreznevsky.^[7][2]
• 1609 – выдра “otter pelt” in a Tobolsk act.^[9]
• 1618–1619 – βuïdra in James's glossary.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. otter: a predatory animal of the weasel family that swims well and has valuable fur.^[12][13][1]
2. Otter fur: шапка из выдры is an otter-fur hat.^[16][17]
3. (colloquial, derogatory) A thin, ugly woman.^[12][13][1]

Word family

• выдровый
• выдряный
• выдрий
• выдрочка

Related words

• вода
• ведро
• гидра
• Old East Slavic выдра (vydra)

Usage notes

Anikin separates two dialect homonyms, выдра “groove, slot” and выдра “skinny person”, and derives both from выдрать “to tear out”.^[18][19] Морская выдра “sea otter” is the same as калан.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. 9, 138
3. ^ a b Shansky, N. M.; Zhuravlev, A. F. (eds.) (1963–2007), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], vols. 1–10 (A–M), Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, p. 3, s.v. выдра
4. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 534
5. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 367
6. ^ Tsyganenko, G. P. (1989), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], 2nd ed., Kiev: Radjans'ka škola, p. s.v. выдра
7. ^ a b Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. выдра
8. ^ a b Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. s.v. выдра
9. ^ a b c Barkhudarov, S. G. et al. (eds.) (1975–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XI–XVII vv. [Словарь русского языка XI–XVII вв.], vols. 1–31, Moskva: Nauka / Azbukovnik / Lexrus, p. 3, 199
10. ^ Sorokin, Yu. S. et al. (eds.) (1984–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XVIII veka [Словарь русского языка XVIII века], vols. 1–24, Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. s.v. выдра
11. ^ Dal', V. I. (1880–1882), Tolkovyj slovar' živago velikorusskago jazyka [Толковый словарь живаго великорусскаго языка], 2nd ed., 4 vols., Sankt-Peterburg / Moskva: M. O. Vol'f, p. s.v. выдра
12. ^ a b c d Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. выдра
13. ^ a b c Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. выдра
14. ^ Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. выдра
15. ^ Elistratov, V. S. (2000), Slovar' russkogo argo [Словарь русского арго], Moskva: Russkie slovari, p. s.v. выдра 2
16. ^ Kuznetsov, S. A. (ed.) (1998), Bol'šoj tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой толковый словарь русского языка], Sankt-Peterburg: Norint, p. s.v. выдра
17. ^ Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. выдра
18. ^ 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. 9, 139
19. ^ 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. 9, 140