-арь

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ařь.

Pronunciation

• -арь: IPA^(key): [ərʲ]
• -а́рь: IPA^(key): [ˈarʲ]

Suffix

-арь or -а́рь • (-arʹ or -árʹ)

1. Suffix added to nouns, verbs and adjectives to form masculine agent nouns, sometimes inanimate: -er, -or

   ‎апте́ка (aptéka, “pharmacy”) + ‎-арь (-arʹ) → ‎апте́карь (aptékarʹ, “pharmacist”)

   ‎бунт (bunt, “riot, mutiny”) + ‎-а́рь (-árʹ) → ‎бунта́рь (buntárʹ, “rebel”)

   ‎виногра́д (vinográd, “grapes (collective); vintage”) + ‎-арь (-arʹ) → ‎виногра́дарь (vinográdarʹ, “winegrower”)

   ‎очки́ (očkí, “glasses”) + ‎-а́рь (-árʹ) → ‎очка́рь (očkárʹ, “(colloquial, pejorative) four-eyes (person wearing glasses)”)

   ‎те́хника (téxnika, “engineering; technology; technique”) + ‎-а́рь (-árʹ) → ‎техна́рь (texnárʹ, “(colloquial) technician; student in a technical institute; athlete with technical virtuosity; technical defeat”)

   ‎сло́во (slóvo, “word”) + ‎-а́рь (-árʹ) → ‎слова́рь (slovárʹ, “dictionary”)

   ‎паха́ть (paxátʹ, “to plow”) + ‎-арь (-arʹ) → ‎па́харь (páxarʹ, “plowman”)

   ‎писа́ть (pisátʹ, “to write”) + ‎-арь (-arʹ) → ‎пи́сарь (písarʹ, “clerk; scribe”)

   ‎еба́ть (jebátʹ, “(vulgar) to fuck”) + ‎-арь (-arʹ) → ‎ёбарь (jóbarʹ, “(vulgar) fucker; stud; boyfriend, lover”)

   ‎ди́кий (díkij, “wild, savage”) + ‎-а́рь (-árʹ) → ‎дика́рь (dikárʹ, “savage”)

   ‎сухо́й (suxój, “dry”) + ‎-арь (-arʹ) → ‎суха́рь (suxárʹ, “piece of dried bread or similar (cracker, crouton, etc.); (colloquial) dried-up, boring person”)

   ‎тупо́й (tupój, “stupid”) + ‎-а́рь (-árʹ) → ‎тупа́рь (tupárʹ, “(colloquial) stupid person”)

Usage notes

• This suffix frequently forms colloquialisms.
• When added to nouns and adjectives, the suffix is more commonly stressed (with ending stress in all inflections), but added to verbs, it is normally unstressed.
• Some nouns added to verbs have an alternative plural in -а́, with plural inflections having ending stress (accent pattern c). Examples are то́карь (tókarʹ, “turner, lathe operator”) and (archaicly) пи́сарь (písarʹ, “clerk, scribe”).

Declension

Declension of -арь (bian masc-form soft-stem accent-a/b) 

	singular	plural
nominative	-арь -arʹ	-ари, -ари́ -ari, -arí
genitive	-аря, -аря́ -arja, -arjá	-арей, -аре́й -arej, -aréj
dative	-арю, -арю́ -arju, -arjú	-арям, -аря́м -arjam, -arjám
accusative animate inanimate	-аря, -аря́ -arja, -arjá	-арей, -аре́й -arej, -aréj
	-арь -arʹ	-ари, -ари́ -ari, -arí
instrumental	-арем, -арём -arem, -arjóm	-арями, -аря́ми -arjami, -arjámi
prepositional	-аре, -аре́ -are, -aré	-арях, -аря́х -arjax, -arjáx

sometimes also:

Declension of -арь (bian masc-form soft-stem accent-c irreg) 

	singular	plural
nominative	-арь -arʹ	-аря́△ -arjá△
genitive	-аря -arja	-аре́й -aréj
dative	-арю -arju	-аря́м -arjám
accusative animate inanimate	-аря -arja	-аре́й -aréj
	-арь -arʹ	-аря́△ -arjá△
instrumental	-арем -arem	-аря́ми -arjámi
prepositional	-аре -are	-аря́х -arjáx

^△ Irregular.

Derived terms

Russian terms suffixed with -арь

Related terms

• -яр (-jar)

See also

• -дей (-dej), -тель (-telʹ), -ник (-nik), -ец (-ec) (other suffixes used to form "doer" words)