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дабы. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
дабы, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
дабы in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Russian
Etymology
Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic да бꙑ (da by). By surface analysis, да (da) + бы (by).
Pronunciation
Conjunction
да́бы or дабы́ • (dáby or dabý)
- (archaic, non-standard colloquial) in order to, in order that, so that
- Synonym: (common term) что́бы (štóby)
да́бы я э́то знал- dáby ja éto znal
- in order that I might know it
1836, Александр Пушкин, “Глава VI. Пугачёвщина”, in Капитанская дочка, London: Henry S. King & Co.; English translation from Ekaterina Telfer, transl., The Captain's Daughter, 1875:Василиса Егоровна сделала ему несколько замечаний касательно хозяйства, как судия, начинающий следствие вопросами посторонними, дабы сперва усыпить осторожность ответчика.- Vasilisa Jegorovna sdelala jemu neskolʹko zamečanij kasatelʹno xozjajstva, kak sudija, načinajuščij sledstvije voprosami postoronnimi, daby sperva usypitʹ ostorožnostʹ otvetčika.
- Vassilissa Yegorovna made some remarks having reference to housekeeping, like a judge who prefaces his interrogatory by putting irrelevant questions in order to throw the accused off his guard.
Usage notes
- Particularly since the 21st century, this conjunction (stressed as да́бы) has re-entered colloquial usage as a more flavorful or intimate synonym to чтобы (štoby). This is often seen as improper by older speakers. Historically, дабы became increasingly archaic following the end of the 18th century, but it remains amply attested in literature.