бельё

See also: белье

Russian

Alternative forms

• бѣльё (bělʹjó) — pre-1918 spelling

Etymology

From бе́лый (bélyj) +‎ -ьё (-ʹjó). Compare Polish bielizna. Also compare Hungarian fehérnemű, German Weißwaren, and English tighty whities or whites.

Compare typologically Czech prádlo (“laundry (things to be laundered)”), prádélko (“diminutive of prádlo; lingerie”) (note бельи́шко (belʹíško)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bʲɪˈlʲjɵ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Saint Petersburg):

  (file)

Noun

бельё • (belʹjó) n inan (genitive белья́, uncountable, relational adjective бельево́й, pejorative бельи́шко)

1. underwear, skivvies, underclothes, undergarment, undies
2. bedclothes, linen
3. washing (textiles that have been or are to be washed)

Declension

Declension of бельё (inan sg-only neut-form vowel-stem accent-b) 

	singular
nominative	бельё belʹjó
genitive	белья́ belʹjá
dative	белью́ belʹjú
accusative	бельё belʹjó
instrumental	бельём belʹjóm
prepositional	белье́ belʹjé

Derived terms

• бельево́й (belʹjevój)
  • бельева́я f (belʹjevája)

Compounds:

• гря́зное бельё n (grjáznoje belʹjó)

Related terms

• бе́лый (bélyj)

Collocations

• же́нское бельё n (žénskoje belʹjó)
• мужско́е бельё n (mužskóje belʹjó)
• нате́льное бельё n (natélʹnoje belʹjó)
• посте́льное бельё n (postélʹnoje belʹjó)
• сме́на белья́ f (sména belʹjá)
• чи́стое бельё n (čístoje belʹjó)

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: бельо́ (beljó)

References

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999), “бельё”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 84
• Shansky, N. M. (1965), “бельё”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 1, number 2 (Б), Moscow: Moscow University Press, page 89
• Šanskij, N. M. (2004), “бельё”, in Školʹnyj etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka [School Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Drofa
• Tsyhanenko, H. P. (1989), “бельё”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Kyiv: Radjanska shkola, →ISBN, page 29
  • See: Tsyhanenko, H. P. (1989), “белый”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Kyiv: Radjanska shkola, →ISBN, page 29
• Anikin, A. E. (2009), “бельё”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 3 (бе – болдыхать), Moscow: Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 87

Further reading

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882), “белый”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.