September is Etymology Month (30)

ПОДКУЗЬМИТЬ [podkuz'mit'] 'to do someone a bad turn'. From the festival of Sts. Kuz'ma and Dem'jan (17th October, OS), at which deals were concluded and accounts settled between employer and employee, originally 'to dispel hopes connected with St. Kuz'ma's Day'. Cf. объегорить 'to cheat', originally referring to the practice of reneging on similar deals struck before St. George's Day (Егор(ий) from Георгий, patron saint of agriculture), 26 November NS.

September is Etymology Month (29)

КОСМОНАВТ [kosmonávt] 'spaceman'. based on Gk. kósmos 'space', naútes 'sailor', widely known after the first manned space flight by Jurij Gagarin on 12 April 1961 (космонавтика 'outer space exploration' is recorded in dictionaries from 1958). Cf. астронавт 'astronaut', used mainly of US spacemen, and occasionally астрокосмонавты, used in 1975 during the joint Apollo Sojuz flight (ЭПАС - Экспериментальный полёт Аполлон-Союз 'Apollo-Sojuz Experimental Flight).

September is Etymology Month (28)

ПЛОЩАДЬ [plóščad'] 'square'. OR 'square, street', from ChSl., based on Gk. plateia (hodós 'way' understood) 'street', lit. 'flat, broad way', alternatively from *ploskědь, cf. плоский 'flat', with -sk- palatalising to -šč- before -ě-, thus 'flat area'.

September is Etymology Month (27)

ДОСТОПРИМЕЧАТЕЛЬНЫЙ [dostoprimečátel'nyj] 'noteworthy'. A calque of Gk. axiothéatos, id. (axios 'worthy', theatós 'to be seen'). Cf. достопримечательности 'the sights', Ger. Sehenswürdigkeiten, id.

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Look, I grew up in a society where I could say 'I ain't' or 'what it be' to my friends. But when I'm out presenting myself to the world as me, who graduated from college, who had family who cared about me, who has a well-read background, I fucking conjugate.

September is Etymology Month (26)

ТРЕСКА [ treská] 'cod'. Early 17th century in this meaning. Possibly from 11th-century meaning 'splinter'. cf. earlier рыба-щёпка 'cod', lit. 'splinter-fish', analogous to Ger. Stockfisch 'cod', lit. 'stick-fish'. Perhaps from the fish's tendency to shred into fibres, like wood, during the drying process (cf. трескаться 'to crack'). Alternatively, cognate with Ger. Dorsch 'cod' (cf. Dan. Torsk, id.), from dürr 'dry, dried out' (Dorsch is properly Dörrfisch from dörren 'to dry, bake'), thus lit. 'dried smoked fish'. Cf. IE *ters- 'to rub, dry'.

September is Etymology Month (25)

ТИСКИ [tiskí] 'vice' (tech.). 16th century, cf. тискать 'to squeeze', cognate with тесный 'cramped'.

September is Etymology Month (24)

ЧЕПУХА [čepuchá] 'nonsense'. Mid-18th century 'splinter' (cf. analogous вздор 'nonsense' originally 'litter', cognate with драть 'to tear'). Alternatively, a blend of щепа 'splinter' and чуха (obs. reg.) 'nonsense'. Unlikely to be associated with тщетный 'futile'.

September is Etymology Month (23)

ВОСТОК [vostók] 'east'. 11th century, from ChSl., calqued from Gk. anatole 'rising, especially of the sun or moon' (cf. Gk. anatéllo 'i rise up'), thus the place where the sun rises (вос-/ana- 'upward' + ток, cognate with течь 'to flow', CSl *tekti 'flow, run') cf. Lat. oriens 'rising sun, east'.

September is Etymology Month (22)

НОСОРОГ [nosoróg] 'rhinoceros'. A calque of Gk. rinókeros, id. (rís, gen. rinós 'nose', kéras 'horn') cf. Ger. Nashorn, id., lit. 'nose-horn', also calqued from Gk.