ватник

Russian

Etymology

From ва́та (váta, “cotton wool”) +‎ -ник (-nik).

For sense 2, from the clothing worn by Soviet citizens, and an online satirical cartoon by the cartoonist Anton Chadsky about a sentient jacket simply known as "ва́тник". The term was popularised by netizens in VKontakte and LIVEJOURNAL, and the Russian opposition in general.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈvatʲnʲɪk]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ватник (1)

ва́тник • (vátnik) m inan or m anim (genitive ва́тника, nominative plural ва́тники, genitive plural ва́тников, feminine ва́тница)

1. (inanimate) quilted jacket, vatnik

   Synonyms: фуфа́йка (fufájka), телогре́йка (telogréjka)

2. (animate, derogatory, neologism) vatnik, sovok, an overly zealous Russian jingoist

   Synonyms: сово́к (sovók), портя́нка (portjánka)

Usage notes

• In sense (2), the term is commonly used by Russian liberals to label right-wingers and supporters of Vladimir Putin's policies, including the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The term is often considered Russophobic and offensive by the latter.

Declension

Declension of ва́тник (bian masc-form velar-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ва́тник vátnik	ва́тники vátniki
genitive	ва́тника vátnika	ва́тников vátnikov
dative	ва́тнику vátniku	ва́тникам vátnikam
accusative animate inanimate	ва́тника vátnika	ва́тников vátnikov
	ва́тник vátnik	ва́тники vátniki
instrumental	ва́тником vátnikom	ва́тниками vátnikami
prepositional	ва́тнике vátnike	ва́тниках vátnikax

Descendants

• → Armenian: վատնիկ (vatnik)
• → Azerbaijani: vatnik
• → Belarusian: ва́тнік (vátnik)
• → Crimean Tatar: vatnik
• → English: vatnik
• → Estonian: vatnik
• → French: vatnik
• → Georgian: ვატნიკი (vaṭniḳi)
• → German: Watnik
• → Latvian: vatņiks
• → Lithuanian: vatnikas
• → Swedish: vatnik
• → Ukrainian: ва́тник (vátnyk)
  • → English: vatnyk
• → Uzbek: vatnik

See also

• ва́тный (vátnyj)
• вышива́тник (vyšivátnik, “a Ukrainian ultranationalist”)
• зе́тник (zétnik, “a vatnik who uses the Z symbol, a supporter of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine”), зэ́тник (zɛ́tnik)

Ukrainian

Etymology

From Russian ва́тник (vátnik).

Noun

ва́тник • (vátnyk) m ? (genitive [please provide], nominative plural [please provide])

1. vatnik (jacket)
2. (derogatory, neologism) vatnik (Russian jingoist)
   • 2023 September 14, “Посібник для українського “ватника”: чутки, саботаж, «орієнтація» дітей… [Guide to being a Ukrainian "vatnik": misinformation, sabotage, "indoctrination" of children...]”, in UkrInform‎^[1]:

Descendants

• → English: vatnyk