товарищ

Russian

Alternative forms

• това́рищъ (továrišč) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)
• тов. (tov.), т. (t.) — abbreviations

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic товарищь (tovariščĭ), from Proto-Slavic *tovariščь, from *tovarъ +‎ *-iščь.

Ultimately an early borrowing of Turkic origin, from Old Turkic tavar (“property, goods, trade, wealth”) + ishchi (“one who works”), from ish (“business, work”), from Proto-Turkic *īĺč (“work”) (or, possibly instead -iš (“friend”)). See modern Turkish işçi (“worker”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

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Noun

това́рищ • (továrišč) m anim (genitive това́рища, nominative plural това́рищи, genitive plural това́рищей, relational adjective това́рищеский)

1. comrade, friend (male or female)
2. mate, companion, pal (male or female)
3. colleague, assistant (male or female)
4. classmate, fellow student (male or female)
5. a word used to address compatriots, fellow citizens (male or female) in the Soviet era

Declension

Derived terms

• по-това́рищески (po-továriščeski)
• сотова́рищ m (sotovárišč)
• това́рищеский (továriščeskij)
• това́рищество n (továriščestvo)
• това́рка (továrka)

Descendants

• → Chinese:

  Mandarin: 達瓦里希 (dáwǎlǐxī)

• → English: tovarish
• → Finnish: toveri
• → Ingrian: tovarišša
• → Yakut: табаарыс (tabaarıs)

References