The word “pencil” is so familiar to us that no one thought about its meaning and origin in Russian. Meanwhile, this word appeared in our great and powerful language several centuries ago. The origin of the word “pencil” is not at all a mystery. Linguists have long decided on its origin. The word itself is not native Russian, but came to us from another language. Where exactly, read on ...
When the pencil appeared
The appearance in everyday life of this writing instrument is even more ancient than the word itself. Such an object appeared in the thirteenth century. Used in those days exclusively by artists. They attached a thin silver wire to the handle. It was impossible to erase what was drawn. In those days, portraits of nobles were painted with lead pencil. This technique was used by the German artist and graphic artist Albrecht Durer.
After another hundred years, the Italian pencil was opened to the world . The technology of its manufacture is complex. The core of such a pencil was made of shale!
Etymology of the word
The origin of the word "pencil" is associated with the Turkic language. It came to the Russian language from Turkic in the fifteenth century. The word “pencil” is formed by the fusion of two bases: “kara” means “black”, and “dash” is “stone” or “slate”. The root "punishment" is present in many Russian words. For example: the name of the city Karasuk means "black water", because it was founded on the banks of the river.
Pencil: meaning of the word
Another 200 years, Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl in his explanatory dictionary gave the definition of the word "pencil".
- This is graphite or fossil, which consists of iron and coal.
- Graphite inserted by a rod into a tube made of wood, intended for drawing and other creative work.
- Any dry paint in bars for drawing and writing with dry paints and pastels.
Synonyms
Like any word, a pencil in Russian has synonyms. Their correct use will depend on the context in which you place the replaced word. So, the word "pencil" can be replaced by the words: auto-pencil, wand, writing, pastel and so on.
With the word "pencil" in Russian there is a proverb. She says that the pencil was created for writing, and the hammer - for forging.
Pencil in art
The origin of the word "pencil" is already known to you. And many of us know that paintings are painted with paints, pastels and pencils. When a drawing is depicted with a pencil, this technique is called graphics in the art of painting. But the modern generation does not know that in the era of the Soviet circus, the kind and bright clown Karandash, Mikhail Rumyantsev, performed in the arena.
Once he was to perform in the Tauride Garden. Rumyantsev wanted to go on stage under a stage name. A complex search began for sonorous and catchy words that convey the leitmotif of his miniatures. While in the circus museum, Mikhail Rumyantsev examined posters and albums. He came across an album with cartoons that the clown became interested in. The author of these cartoons was the Frenchman - Caran d'Ach. Then Rumyantsev thought about this word. Applying this word as a pseudonym, he decided that this subject is running, especially among children. So the clown Mikhail Rumyantsev - Pencil settled on this pseudonym.
Conclusion
The history of the word pencil is simple. It was borrowed from the Turkic language in the fifteenth century, which means that it is not native Russian. The first mention of pencils is recorded in the annals of the seventeenth century. And the mass production of this writing instrument began a century later in Germany. The origin of the word "pencil" you know. But have you heard what the inscription "Kohinur" means on it? The company that produces pencils named them in honor of the diamond under the name "Kohinur", which means "Mountain of Light" in Persian.