Three words that are mistakenly considered tracings from the Russian language

This often resulted in tracing words. However, some words that are mistakenly thought to be copies from Russian actually have deep roots in the Ukrainian language. Let’s consider three such examples.

1. The word Russian

Many believe that the word Russian is a Russian tracing paper because of its consonance with the Russian русский. However, this statement does not stand up to criticism from the point of view of history. The word Russian comes from the ancient Russian tradition and means belonging to Russia, that is, the state that existed long before the appearance of the modern Russian language. Such expressions as Russian land and Russian princes are found in the annals. While Russian Русский has become established in the context of Russian national identity, Ukrainian Russian retains its historical significance associated with Kyivan Rus.

2. The word is hot

Zharko is often taken as a loanword from Russian, as it sounds identical. However, this word has a deep Ukrainian origin. The root zhar in the Ukrainian language has existed for a long time and is used to denote heat, fire or heat. The word hot is naturally formed with the help of the suffix -ko, which is widely used in the Ukrainian language to create adjectives and adverbs. For example, similar forms: easily, bitterly. Thus, Zharko is an organic part of the Ukrainian language system, and not a tracing paper from Russian.

3. Keep your word

Another word that is mistaken for tracing paper is to hold. It really has a similar sound to the Russian держать, but actually comes from the Proto-Slavic root der, which means to hold, to possess. In the Old Ukrainian language, this word was used in various meanings, such as to keep, to keep or even to manage. For example, in the phrase to keep one’s word means to keep one’s promises. That is, to hold is a specific Ukrainian word that existed long before the Russian influence.