People are generally optional. And if we meet a person responsible and positive, then we begin to admire him. Therefore, cases of connivance and failure to comply with orders do not surprise anyone. And this behavior has many names. Today we will analyze one of them - to skimp, this is the verb that causes our burning interest.
Origin
Whatever you say, even a person who is not too sophisticated in this matter can distinguish a foreign word from a Slavic one. For example, the fact that "fashion shows" or "lace" are of French origin is understandable. But who would have thought that from French the words came to us:
To skimp is a verb in which foreign origin is easily recognized. As the etymological dictionary tells us , manquer means miss. In Italian, too, there is a similar word meaning absence - mancare. And of course, both Italian and French have one source - Latin. It has the word mancus, that is, "insufficient or crippled."
Here I would like to put forward some hypotheses about why, suddenly, “crippled” and “absent” became a synonym in the Russian language for improper fulfillment of our duties or neglect of someone, but for now we will refrain.
Significance and subtleties of use
First, consider the meaning of the word “skimp”, then let’s think about fancy language dynamics. So, the explanatory dictionary says the following: "Carelessly treat someone or something, neglect something." Naturally, the word is currently considered obsolete, so when it is used, certain incidents may arise.
For example, if a child skips school, and mother tells his father that the child is skipping school, then a humorous moment may arise just because the concept is outdated. In addition, it is possible that aristocrats still delight and attract us, but in some cases such imitation can go sideways. What was organic for a man of the 19th century will not work at all in the 21st century. That is, you can use the word, but carefully, remembering its current status.
Synonyms
Maybe you should have started with synonyms? After all, they would almost completely answer the question of whether to skimp is what it is. In this case, analogies are more effective than information about the meaning and origin of a word. But we do not strive for superficial understanding. A person who speaks Russian should know not only the approximate meaning, but also the true content of the concept, as well as the history of the word. Now, without any serious consequences, we can reveal to the reader the secret of analogues to the meaning “to skimp”. The list is as follows:
- neglect;
- do not mention it;
- not notice;
- not want to know;
- ignore.
The last verb of the list will be in special demand, because it is very popular.
If we return to what we talked about in the section on the origin, now we can put forward the obvious hypothesis. In Russian, to fail is not to notice. For example, a man or woman pretends that their duties or another person is not in the world. This is consistent with the Latin meaning of the word “insufficient”. The reader is free to accept our hypothesis or put forward his own. The main thing is that he learned the meaning of the term “skimp” from our article.