прозябать

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Russian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic прозѧбати (prozębati), from Proto-Slavic *zębnǫti (to germinate). Unrelated to зя́бнуть (zjábnutʹ, to freeze).

Pronunciation

Verb

прозяба́ть (prozjabátʹimpf (perfective прозя́бнуть)

  1. to vegetate
    • 1880, Михаил Салтыков-Щедрин , “Семейные итоги”, in Господа Головлёвы; English translation from I. P. Foote, transl., The Golovlevs, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986:
      Мы существу́ем совсе́м свобо́дно, то́ есть прозяба́ем, лжём и пустосло́вим, са́ми по себе́, без вся́ких осно́в.
      My suščestvújem sovsém svobódno, tó jestʹ prozjabájem, lžom i pustoslóvim, sámi po sebé, bez vsjákix osnóv.
      We exist in total freedom — that is, we vegetate, lie, and prattle entirely of our own accord without any bases whatsoever.

Conjugation