орк

Russian

Etymology

Borrowed from English orc.

The pejorative usage appeared as early as in 2014, when Euromaidan activists referred Yanukovych's supporters and riot policemen as "orcs". Later it was extended in Ukrainian military slang as a term for the Russian enemy during the War in Donbass and was widely popularized by an official Armed Forces of Ukraine Facebook post on 25 February 2022.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ork]

Noun

орк • (ork) m anim (genitive о́рка, nominative plural о́рки, genitive plural о́рков, relational adjective о́ркский or о́рочий)

1. (fantasy) orc (humanoid monster warrior)
2. (derogatory) a police officer or titushky working for former Ukrainian president Yanukovych
3. (derogatory, Internet slang) a Russian person with little to no desirable qualities (unattractive, low intelligence, uncultured, etc.)
4. (politics, derogatory, neologism, Ukraine) Russian invader (a Russian, DPR, or LPR soldier participating in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine)
5. (derogatory, Internet slang, offensive, ethnic slur, Ukraine, by extension) Any Russian person

Usage notes

Some Russian nationalists and supporters of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine took up the "орк" slur as a term of pride to represent themselves as soldiers, or to mock Ukrainian or pro-Ukraine users.

Declension

Declension of орк (anim masc-form velar-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	о́рк órk	о́рки órki
genitive	о́рка órka	о́рков órkov
dative	о́рку órku	о́ркам órkam
accusative	о́рка órka	о́рков órkov
instrumental	о́рком órkom	о́рками órkami
prepositional	о́рке órke	о́рках órkax

Antonyms

• эльф (elʹf, “elf”)

Coordinate terms

• ваха (vaxa, “Warhammer”) (online slang: orks are among the playable armies in that game)
• Мордор (Mordor, “Mordor, Russia”) (derogatory, slang)
• оккупа́нт (okkupánt, “occupant, a Russian soldier”)

Derived terms

• (derogatory, slang) оркоста́н (orkostán, “land of orcs, Russia”)
• (derogatory, slang) Оркса́нка (Orksánka, “a Ukrainian woman”)

See also

• укр (ukr, “insult towards Ukrainian people from a fringe nationalist theory”)

Ukrainian

Etymology

Borrowed from English orc.

The pejorative usage appeared as early as in 2014, when Euromaidan activists referred Yanukovych's supporters and riot policemen as "orcs". Later it was extended in Ukrainian military slang as a term for the Russian enemy during the War in Donbass and was widely popularized by an official Armed Forces of Ukraine Facebook post on 25 February 2022.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɔrk]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

орк • (ork) m pers (genitive о́рка, nominative plural о́рки, genitive plural о́рків, relational adjective о́рківський or о́ркський, diminutive орченя́)

1. (fantasy) orc (humanoid monster)
2. (derogatory) a police officer or titushky working for former Ukrainian president Yanukovych
3. (politics, derogatory) Russian invader (a Russian, DPR, or LPR soldier participating in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine)
4. (derogatory, Internet slang, offensive, ethnic slur, by extension) Any Russian person

Declension

Declension of орк
(pers velar masc-form accent-a)

	singular	plural
nominative	орк ork	о́рки órky
genitive	о́рка órka	о́рків órkiv
dative	о́ркові, о́рку órkovi, órku	о́ркам órkam
accusative	о́рка órka	о́рків órkiv
instrumental	о́рком órkom	о́рками órkamy
locative	о́ркові, о́рку órkovi, órku	о́рках órkax
vocative	о́рку órku	о́рки órky

Derived terms

• орки́ня (orkýnja, “a female orc, a Russian woman”) (derogatory, slang)
• оркоста́н (orkostán, “land of orcs, Russia”) (derogatory, slang)
• о́ркський (órksʹkyj, “orcish, related to orcs”)
• орочня́ (oročnjá, “orcs, Russians”) (collective, derogatory, slang)
• орчи́на (orčýna, “a big orc, a Russian soldier or man”) (derogatory, slang)
• орчи́ня (orčýnja, “a female orc, a Russian woman”) (derogatory, slang)
• орчи́ха (orčýxa, “a female orc, a Russian woman”) (more derogatory, slang)