Probably, each person in his address at least once heard this word. It is wonderful in all respects: firstly, it is a crude curse (although how to look), secondly, it has a second meaning, and thirdly, such people are sometimes lucky. The object of research today is the meaning of the word "fool."
Value
Of course, you will have the original meaning of this noun, but before talking about the ancient sense, it is worth mentioning the meaning that is recorded in the explanatory dictionary. So:
- Stupid man, fool.
- In the old days: court or home jester.
- Card game.
With the first value it seems to be clear. When a person says something outrageous, then we call him a "fool."
The second meaning is also easy to interpret. It is known that in the old days the king or tsar always had his own personal comedian, who constantly entertained him. But the court jester had another function, the mention of which became a commonplace - to tell the truth. Only a buffoon could afford it. Of course, within certain limits and in an accurate, correct form, but still.
There is nothing to say about the card game. Who played, he knows, and who does not take gambling to the spirit, then that is not necessary. The game is famous for what is mentioned in the song “The Last Hero” of the “Cinema” group.
Ancient Slavs
This is now the meaning of the word “fool” is negative, and our ancestors had a different point of view, however, sources say different things. For example, the etymological dictionary does not report any super sense. He reduces the meaning of the word to the related "crap", which had the meaning of "stupid", and in this interpretation all dictionaries agree with slight differences. But that's not all. Further searches led us to two more hypotheses:
- A fool is an enlightened person who can think in two categories at once. This is explained by the division of the word into syllables: “do” - two, “ra” - the radiance, and “k” - the useless part, which was considered the latest introduction.
- A fool is the second pagan name of a person.
In the latter case, the explanation of the meaning of the word "fool" will be long, so you should pay special attention to it. There used to be a tradition in Russia to call children double names: one is Christian, and the other is pagan. So, the latter included the names that were assigned to the children in order, that is, the First, Second, Third. But then they had a slightly different look: “Pervak”, “Vtorak”, “Tretiak”. The children who followed the fourth, fifth, were Fools or "Friend". The reader is aware of this technique. When we list something or someone, and then we get bored or there are too many units, and we say: “And others.” Exactly the same with children.
That was the meaning of the word "fool" among the Slavs
Criticism of versions
Duty tells you to say a little about credibility. Of course, the one who is fond of the subject on a professional basis will best tell about this, but everyone else may also have questions, for example:
- If a fool is enlightened, then why is there no mention of this in the etymological dictionary?
- And if the Fool is a pagan name, then why in Russian fairy tales is the third son called the “fool”?
Yes, all this is fair. But, unlike the version about the Buddha the Fool, the second version, at least, is confirmed by documents of the XV-XVII centuries. The first hypothesis reminds us of M.N.Zadornov, who recently left this world, whom linguists did not particularly like.
What to believe, of course, the reader chooses himself. But it seems that the explanatory dictionary not only finds support from the etymological, but also continues the tradition. Another thing is that the meaning of the word “fool” and the complexity of the image of Ivan, combined with him in the popular mind, cannot be reduced to either stupidity or madness. And you should think about it at your leisure, maybe the fools are really enlightened.