обычай

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Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *obyčajь, from *vyknǫti (whence -вы́кнуть (-výknutʹ)).

Pronunciation

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Noun

обы́чай (obýčajm inan (genitive обы́чая, nominative plural обы́чаи, genitive plural обы́чаев)

  1. custom, usage (habit or accepted practice)
    Synonyms: обыкнове́ние (obyknovénije), тради́ция (tradícija), ритуа́л (rituál)
    • 2011, Виктор Пелевин, “Ч. 1. Damsel in distress”, in S.N.U.F.F.; English translation from Andrew Bromfield, transl., S.N.U.F.F., 2014:
      По древней примете половинки спутника сшили освящённой коровьей жилой (чтоб покойничек не вылез в космосе, не долетев до Маниту — в это, конечно, никто не верил, но обычай соблюдали).
      Po drevnej primete polovinki sputnika sšili osvjaščónnoj korovʹjej žiloj (štob pokojniček ne vylez v kosmose, ne doletev do Manitu — v eto, konečno, nikto ne veril, no obyčaj sobljudali).
      Following an old superstition, the two halves of the sputnik were sewn together with consecrated cow’s tendons (so the dead man wouldn’t climb out into space before he reached Manitou – no one believed that, of course, but they observed the custom anyway).

Declension

References

  • Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “обычай”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress