The word "fist" is well known to the Russian-speaking population. Everything seems to be very clear with him. But it turns out that a similar word exists in other languages, which are not Slavic at all. So, a resident of Turkey, having heard him from a foreigner, nods in a sign that he understands what is at stake. But for some reason it touches the ear. But a few decades ago, even among the Slavs, this term would have evoked dualistic feelings. Apparently, not everything here is so simple.
This article discusses the evolution of the meaning of the word "fist", as well as its pedigree.
What is a fist?
A fist is a bent metacarpus. With this meaning, the word is mentioned in a written monument of the XIII century (Patriarchal or Nikon Chronicle). The word âmetacarpusâ was used in those days to mean hands. In addition to this interpretation, âfistâ can also mean the following concepts:
- Concentrated troops for a decisive strike.
- Detail of the machine, thanks to which a certain mechanism is set in motion. So, the steering knuckle of the car is an obligatory part of the vehicle, thanks to which the wheels can rotate, changing the trajectory of movement.
- A peasant owner who has dishonestly acquired property.
- A person characterized by avarice and greed.
And now, first things first.
Where did the word come from
There are people (called etymologists) who devote their time to the search for the sources from which different words originate. Like experienced detectives, they cling to the slightest evidence: they find morpheme matches in different languages, look at the sound composition of the word. Thanks to their labors, one can learn the genealogy of many Russian terms.
However, versions of the origin of the same word do not always coincide among different etymologists. They can argue among themselves for a long time, but this only helps to get closer to the truth. This happened in the case of the term considered in the article.
The history of the origin of the word "fist" is very confusing and ambiguous. This opinion is shared by many linguists, in particular Max Fasmer and Pavel Chernykh. Therefore, the origin of the word can only be talked about presumably, clarifying that there are many different versions. Further in the article some of them are considered.
Version number 1
Alexey Sobolevsky - the author of numerous works on linguistics, considers the word âfistâ to be ancient Russianism. He notes that in the Old Russian language there was no such word, but instead, âmetacarpusâ was used. And only with time did the bent metacarpus begin to be called a fist. Sobolevsky believes that the relationship between this word and the Old Russian âculâ (the old unit of measurement) is quite possible - a bag (bag). Most likely, the âfistâ in those days meant roughly the same as the current âbagâ, âwrapperâ. If so, it is precisely this meaning that is embedded in the modern word "fist" in the meaning of "peasant trader", "buyer".
Version number 2
It is possible that the word âfistâ came from Turkic languages. In them, kulak has the same meaning as in Russian. However, in Turkish, the same word is translated as âearâ. Nevertheless, many linguists adhere to this particular etymology.
Version number 3
Pavel Chernykh considers Turkic borrowing implausible. He explains that the word âfistâ is very ancient, it may have existed at a time when writing was not developed. Chernykh suggests that the old Russian âfistâ could be derived from the lost even more ancient word.
Version number 4
Finally, Nikolai Shansky raises a âfistâ to the all-Slavic kuliti (âsqueeze into a ballâ). Related to this word, he considers "cookie" (a gesture of mockery, contempt).
Is it that simple?
Contrary to the fact that for many people to define the word âfistâ seems like a simple and unsophisticated task, for linguists this is a significant difficulty. Why?
A person unrelated to philology or anatomy is more likely to say that the fist is part of the body. Then itâs worth clarifying that only certain parts of the body are called parts of the body: arm, leg, neck ... But is it, for example, the heart? âThe heart is an organ,â the physiologist will answer. Indeed, âthe heart and other parts of the bodyâ sounds strange. This is because here the parameter of visibility of the object plays an important role. Invisible organs are rarely referred to parts of the body.
Fist: part of the body or its shape?
Everything seems to be clear now, but linguists still doubt it. âParts of the body,â they say, âshould not only be visible, but also preserved, regardless of the personâs posture, facial expressions, gestures.â Well, thatâs the logic. The elbow, hand and wrist are always present in a person. It doesnât matter whether a person is riding a bicycle, sitting quietly on a chair or actively gesturing. Therefore, these are parts of the body. But you can say about the fist only if the person takes a certain position (in the case of outstretched fingers, the fist is absent).
A smile behaves in much the same way. Lips are part of the body, they are always present. But the smile appears and disappears. It all depends on the position of the lips, and they can be both angrily compressed and surprisingly rounded. Similarly, a person can both clench his fist and relax his hands. We can say that a smile and fists are obtained as a result of a change in the shape of parts of the body: such transformations.
What the fist can do
One could stop at this, but there is still something philologists suggest paying attention to. They claim that the fist is not an ordinary transform, although there is every reason to believe this. It is all about the functions that he assigns to himself, and they are more characteristic of the parts of the body than their forms.
First, like all transforms, the fist can express certain human emotions, thoughts, transmit information to the addressee. To show a fist is a rather expressive gesture by which you can immediately guess the intentions of a person. But this further suggests that the fist is not part of the body. After all, it is difficult to convey emotions by showing a foot or hand to the interlocutor.
However, the second function of the fist is rarely characteristic of transforms. Usually people associate struggle with the word âfistâ. This is because it has its own power function. Most often, a person clenches his fist in order to have a physical effect on something. That is, the subject of discussion acts as a power tool, which a person can use when the need arises. It is worth noting that such actions are not always associated with aggressive intent. You can knock on the door with your fist without having any malicious intent, or knead the dough for the pie.
Thus, the conclusion will be most accurate: the fist has intermediate properties between body parts and transformations.
Fist as a repository
Phraseologism "take the will into the fist" is associated with another function of the fist, which was not considered in the article. âThis is the function of the storage and storage of small objects,â says Alexander Letuchy in his work on linguistic research. Everything is clear here: in the fist, the child can hold the candy, hiding it from the stern look of mom. Or, let's say a woman rides a tram to work. It is very convenient to hold coins in a fist, so as not to drop them until the controller appears.
From this point of view, the phraseologism under consideration can be interpreted as follows: "A person collects his physical, mental and spiritual forces, placing them in a certain enclosed space (fist) so that they cannot slip away from him."
On the other hand, phraseologism âto take the will into a fistâ is a combination of all forces into one monolithic whole, into one body, of which the fist is.
Fist fight
The first mention of fistfights in Russia can be found in the "Tale of Bygone Years". Although the word âfistâ was not used there, in this article it is worth paying attention to this ancient Russian tradition.
The fist fight goes back to pre-Christian times. In this way, people entertained themselves and also practiced the self-defense skills necessary for that era.
Men united in teams and fought âwall to wallâ. Quite a popular view was the struggle âon itselfâ, that is, âone on oneâ, as well as a âdump-trailerâ, where everyone fought against everyone, for himself.
Kulikovo field
Interestingly, the name Kulikova field comes from the word "fist". Itâs easy to guess why. It was here that fist fights were held, controversial issues were clarified, the resolution of which seemed impossible in a peaceful way. So they called this area "Kulikovo", that is, "fists".
Agree on the terms
Physicists, biologists and other people, one way or another connected with science, before starting a dialogue about a complex phenomenon, say: "Let's agree on the terms." What for? The fact is that one and the same word can have a completely different meaning. Because of this, misunderstandings occur, disputes arise. To make the conversation constructive, it is better to speak the same language, that is, clearly understand what the terms used mean.
Words are homonyms
As already mentioned, a fist is a brush with pressed fingers, a peasant trader, and a person who is distinguished by unenviable qualities. Tech lovers can add value. After all, there is also a knuckle that turns the wheels of the car. However, this word is not just an ambiguous term.
Sometimes different concepts are combined under the same sound and spelling, although they have no semantic connections. Such words are called homonyms. âFistâ in the meaning of a bent arm, and âfistâ in the meaning of a merchant are also homonyms.
This is easy to verify by looking into the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. There these words go in different articles.
Merchant Fist
The very concept of âfist,â when it comes to people, arose even before the reform. Fists were then called merchants who resorted to all kinds of tricks to increase their profits. In addition, the kulaks often engaged in mediation between production and marketing: when buying at a low price, they sold at exorbitant prices. It happened that the fist acted as a modern lender, borrowing a piece of land, grain for sowing, animals for work in the field. After which the peasant, who decided to use the services of such a person, was obliged to return everything with high interest or to work it out.
This practice, on the one hand, helped the poor peasants survive, and gave them a chance to develop their economy. On the other hand, the harsh conditions of the "deals" did not allow the villagers to stand on their own feet, and even more ruined the poor.
Calling man "fist", the peasant, first of all, had in mind his moral content. This nickname arose due to the fact that such entrepreneurs influenced people, causing dependence on the villagers, thereby "holding them in a fist."
It should be noted that wealthy peasants are not always fists. In the minds of contemporaries of that time there was a clear distribution between honest earnings, which was considered any physical work that was beneficial to themselves and society, and deceit, which some residents resorted to while exploiting the labor of their fellow villagers.
Fists as one of the classes of society
The interpretation of the word âfistâ in the meaning of the moral character of a person remained until the 1920s. After that, the attitude to the word has changed. If earlier this term had a figurative meaning and indicated the moral qualities of a person or his fraudulent methods, now the word âfistâ has a specific meaning of one of the classes of society.
Wealthy peasants are a threat to society as a whole. This opinion was common among people who fought against the kulaks.
Examples of use
For a better understanding, the article provides sentences with the word "fist" in different meanings.
- The boy resolutely clenched his fists and rushed into battle: the bully offended the girl he knew.
- The fist of this guy was heavy - with such a person it was necessary either to be friends, or to bypass.
- Basil in the village was called a fist, because he loved fraudulently to appropriate other people's funds.
- Fists were harshly treated, finding them a threat to the whole world.
- Father believed that the fist is an excellent method of education, but he never used it.
- Gathering his will into a fist, a tired tourist got up and followed the leaving group.
Even in the most ordinary conversation, you need to be careful about ambiguous words. Using a concept, it is necessary, if necessary, to clarify exactly what meaning is embedded in it.
Having considered the word "fist" in the meanings inherent in the modern language and culture of past centuries, you can safely use it in a variety of contexts. This will give not only expressiveness of speech, but also provide an opportunity for a better understanding of the interlocutor during the dialogue.