жемчуг

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic жьмьчюгъ (žĭmĭčjugŭ) (birchbark letter No. 809, 12th c.), from more common жьньчюгъ (žĭnĭčjugŭ) (since 1161), from Bulgar *ǯinǯü (whence also Chuvash ӗнчӗ (ĕnč̬ĕ) and Hungarian gyöngy) with auslaut akin to *ǯinǯüɣä (dat. sg.), from Common Turkic *yinǯü (whence also Old Turkic 𐰖𐰅𐰨𐰇 (yénčü), Kazakh інжу (ınju), Turkish inci etc.), from Middle Chinese 珍珠 (ʈˠiɪn t͡ɕɨo), 真珠 (t͡ɕiɪn t͡ɕɨo, “true pearls”), whence also Mandarin 珍珠 (zhēnzhū).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʐɛmt͡ɕʊk]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

же́мчуг • (žémčug) m inan (genitive же́мчуга, nominative plural жемчуга́, genitive plural жемчуго́в, relational adjective жемчу́жный)

1. pearl

Declension

Declension of же́мчуг (inan masc-form velar-stem accent-c irreg) 

	singular	plural
nominative	же́мчуг žémčug	жемчуга́△ žemčugá△
genitive	же́мчуга žémčuga	жемчуго́в žemčugóv
dative	же́мчугу žémčugu	жемчуга́м žemčugám
accusative	же́мчуг žémčug	жемчуга́△ žemčugá△
instrumental	же́мчугом žémčugom	жемчуга́ми žemčugámi
prepositional	же́мчуге žémčuge	жемчуга́х žemčugáx

^△ Irregular.

Related terms

• жемчу́жина (žemčúžina, noun)
• жемчу́жница (žemčúžnica, noun)

Descendants

• → Erzya: жемчуг (žemčug)
• → Moksha: шимщуга (šimščuga)
• → Finnish: simpukka
• → Karelian: simčukka, šimčukka, simpčukka, zimčukka
• → Yakut: чөмчүүк (cömcüük)