Prikazchik - this definition we met in the lessons of history and literature. I would like to analyze the meaning of this term and the history of its origin.
The historical meaning of the word "clerk"
According to Ushakov’s dictionary, the clerk is a man who served on the estate, and also managed the farm of his landowner and fulfilled the various requests of his master. These characters were found in many works of Russian classical literature: in Dubrovsky by A. Pushkin, in Ariadne by A. P. Chekhov, In The Dead Souls by N. V. Gogol.
In common parlance, a clerk is an individual who is slavishly subordinate to someone, arrives in absolute dependence on someone, and also fulfills his desires and whims.
City clerk
City clerks are people who were elected from the society of service people in the county and were subordinate to the governors. They were responsible for the military and financial sectors. They also addressed basic issues related to administration. The city clerk was often called the "small town", and the first mention of this belonging dates back to 1467. The election of a city clerk is a process carried out by local nobles. He was appointed for 1 year and approved by a higher government.
Etymology of origin and fate of the term “clerk”
The word "clerk" is a derivative noun from the verb "order." This definition has developed under the conditions of increasing absolutism in the Russian Empire and the active enslavement of the peasant population. It began to spread everywhere in the 16th century during the era of Ivan the Terrible and his decrees, restricting the passage of peasants from their masters, and in case of disobedience - their active pursuit.
This term was used until 1917, when the exploited class became the basis of a new revolutionary society. In this regard, the term has gone centuries and is only historicism in dictionaries and textbooks of history.