pi·ya·la [ˈpēyälä]:
origin: Persian- پیاله‎; Uzbek: piyola- Russian- пиала́

nounI recently acquired a catalog for Russian tea sets (manufactured for a store in New York City), which is fascinating in the cultural differences of mere eating habits. Surely England's high tea is well known, but alternate versions perhaps less so. Myself and an older ( Read more... )

Another Russian word, according to theidolhands's suggestion the other week. This time, a word which made its way from Russian into English.
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sam·o·var noun \ˈsa-mə-ˌvär\

1: an urn with a spigot at its base used especially in Russia to boil water for tea
2: an urn similar to a Russian samovar with a device for heating the contents

Etymology:Russian, from ( Read more... )

At theidolhands's suggestion, here's a Russian word:

Pochemuchka (noun)--a person who asks a lot of questions, especially the "why" questions. "Pochemu" is Russian for "why", and "chka" is one of the noun-forming suffixes, denoting a person.

This word is usually applied to young children.

You can see 10 other words from other cultures on this list: 11 ( Read more... )

barchan (bahr-KAHN) - n., a crescent-shaped dune, with the arms of the crescent pointing downwind.

These form in areas with moderate constant winds, and travel downwind while retaining their shape. Can also happen in snow, though those are generally less widely noticed -- and less permanent. Per Wikipedia: As barchan dunes migrate, smaller dunes ( Read more... )

A samostrel is a self-inflicted wound, primarily an injury inflicted in the hopes that will it allow one to avoid military service. It may also refer to a crossbow, or a toy gun or bow and arrow. Oddly enough, given its rather dark history, it is also apparently gaining ground as a synonym for "selfie."

pelmeni ('pel-muh-nee), noun, plural.
A small savory dumpling, made with a thin layer of unleavened dough and originating in Siberia.

The singular is 'pelmen'.

As is true with all dumplings, there are regional differences in both ingredients and preparation.
Most commonly, pelmeni are filled with minced raw meat flavored with onions and spices ( Read more... )

Shturmovshchina, meaning "storming," is the practice of engaging in intense, last-minute work in order to meet a deadline, generally resulting in a product of low quality. The term refers specifically to the Soviet practice of delaying work due to a shortage of workers, lack of proper materials, etc., until it could be postponed no longer and, in ( Read more... )

Zem·bla·ni·ty (Zemˈbləˈniːˈtiː):
origin: coined by William Boyd; from Russian isles, Novaya Zemlya [English: Nova Zembla]

noun
The opposite of serendipity

So what is the opposite of Serendip, a southern land of spice and warmth, lush greenery and hummingbirds, seawashed, sunbasted? Think of another world in the far north, barren, icebound, cold ( Read more... )

apparatchik  (ä
( Read more... )

Slightly late, my apologies. As you should all expect, here's some words without English equivalents!

Toska
Russian
Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a ( Read more... )