Sometimes in the works of classical literature you can find a mysterious concept hardly used in the modern language - disabilty. What it is? What does this term mean? Let's try to figure it out.
Origin of the word
Translated from French, "déshabillé" - "undressed", "undressed". The term first appeared in France in the 18th century and was used to refer to a men's dressing gown, then it began to be used to describe women's morning or night clothes, not intended for prying eyes.
However, one should not associate French disabilie with a wiped greasy shirt - it is, rather, an elegant seductive peignoir, or a silk nightgown, coquettishly falling from a ladies' shoulder.
The term "disability" in the Russian language
In the works of Russian authors, the word "disabilty" has several meanings and can be used in a slightly distorted sense by giving the term a shade of sloppiness, sloppiness instead of the charm present in the French version.
As a noun, “disabilty” means simple household clothes in which it is not customary to appear in public. “I found the bride in complete disruption” (from notes by A. Bolotov). In the meaning of the adjective, the concept is used as “sloppy dressed”, “not dressed”, “half-dressed”, for example: “I like to debate with people completely disruptive” (according to N. V. Gogol).
For a clearer understanding of what it is - disabilty, it should be noted that initially the term did not apply to commoners and applied only to gentlemen. In relation to the peasants and the common people it is more correct to use a similar word - “negligee”, which entered the Russian language at about the same time.
Negligee was rude underwear, while disabilty was a morning dress without any special decor, suggesting the presence of a top dress, shawls and puffy skirts. Women dressed in disabilty did not accept anyone. At the same time, the appearance of the bottom dress remained rather elegant, although too intimate for appearing in public.