We rarely think about the meaning of words that are firmly established in everyday speech. Some of them are explained easily and simply, the meaning of others is hidden so deeply that sometimes it is not possible to find it. Take, for example, the word "bastard." Pronounce it quite often, and what it means is not known to every person.
It is clear that “balda” is a feminine noun, but for some reason it is more often used in relation to the stronger sex. Why is this happening, what did this word mean in antiquity, what is the meaning we put into it today? We will try to answer these questions using various literary sources and linguistic guides.
Pagan name
In pre-Christian times in Russia, both boys and girls were called Balda. Perhaps that is why in modern speech you can sometimes hear a mocking expression: “Oh, Balda Ivanovna!” You can also recall Bulda, who served as an employee at the priest, and cook and carpenter.
In the poetic work of A. S. Pushkin, this is the name of a strong strong guy, a little silly, but with a sly one, as befits all fairy-tale heroes, whether Emelya or Ivanushka. Under Peter the Great, a pagan name, among other non-church nicknames, was banned. And since then, the bastard is just a synonym for the word "fool", but in a milder, not abusive, but rather ironic version.
Semantic interpretation
Let's look into the Dahl dictionary. Here the bastard is a rhizome, a club, a club, that is, the object, although wooden, is rather heavy. Also, this word was used in Russia to refer to a manual blacksmith hammer (sledgehammer), a weighty mallet, a rammer and other similar items used to carry out simple craft work.
However, Dahl also gives other meanings of the word. In the dialects of the Vologda, Ryazan and Kostroma provinces, the bastard is a dumb guy, a fool, an idiot, a fool.
Turkic borrowing
According to other etymological sources, the word "bastard" appeared in Russian due to borrowing from the languages of the Turkic group. For example, in Tatar the ax is called "bolt", and in Turkish, the word "baldak" means the hilt of cold steel.
This version seems quite plausible, given that the term "knob" exists today, which means thickening at the end of a cane, lever, crutch. In common parlance, a human head is called a bulldozer, which echoes the noun “head”, obviously having Turkic roots. Therefore, the Old Slavonic meaning of the word "balda" remains unclear. It is not known whether this term was invented independently or whether it is a foreign borrowing.
Use of the word in modern speech
As we already found out, the bastard is a synonym for the word "fool". But its sound does not cause acute negative reactions. For example, this is sometimes referred to as an outraged child or close friend who finds himself in an absurd situation. Today you can hear various derivatives formed from the word "balda". The meaning of the adjectives “baldie” and “awesome” is probably clear to everyone. In the first case it is “funny”, in the second it is “stunning”, and exclaiming “Stunned!”, We express our admiration or perplexity for some action, deed of other people.
Folklore
This word is included in some stable expressions. For example, such as "kicking a bastard." The meaning of phraseologism is synonymous with other popular sayings: “chasing a loafer” or “hitting bucks”, that is, doing empty business, lazy. But if everything is more or less clear with the loafer and baclos, then how to kick a blacksmith's hammer or hilt of a saber is a mystery. And a stupid person, no matter how stupid he was, would hardly like such an appeal. At first glance, this strange utterance has a completely logical explanation, rooted in antiquity.
The thing is that, in addition to the other items listed, in the old days they called a bulge on a tree trunk in the form of a round clumsy protrusion. The village kids chipped this lumpy bump and used it in games like today's football. It is possible that adults were sometimes connected to children's fun. As a result, the expression “kick the bastard” arose, meaning useless idle pastime. This version is also supported by the fact that in English, “growth on a tree” and “wooden ball” are close in meaning and are denoted by the same word knar (knur, knurr).