In order to survive before, a person was forced to somehow delimit the space around him, for example, to point out the habitats of dangerous animals. This approach made it possible to lay safe routes, protect your home and family. The marker was the word "den". This concept is multifunctional, used on a daily basis even by people of the 21st century, although most have ceased to hunt wild animals and rarely go to the forest.
Where is the meaning hidden?
Etymology is clear to specialists, but the younger generation can get confused. The closest related verb is called "to lie". From it comes the noun "log", which denotes a long ravine with sloping slopes. What is the connection? A standard lair is a rookery, a place of rest and breeding, where wild animals can hide in case of danger. In Russian there are many words with the same root. Some of them seem completely outside:
- prologue - valley, threshold of mountains;
- fallow, pledge - fallow field, "for the future";
- zlog - ravine;
- vlog - pit, deepening.
Implies a flat, calm place. And prefixes, other morphemes describe the environment, landscape features or processing method.
Where did the bear go?
This is where the basic interpretation comes from. Seeing a drawing with a sleeping master of the taiga, the child will reasonably ask: what is this, a lair or a lair? In a particular case, the words are synonyms. The concept under study always indicates a depression trampled or dug on the surface, insulated with twigs, grass. A small cave, a recess, also fits the description. Animal house, sheltered from prying eyes by plants, rocks. The main thing is a sense of security.
How did you change the people?
Despite its neutral meaning, the term has gradually taken on a negative connotation. After all, the den is also the home of various predators who steal chicken and ducks from the yard, drag away calves, and even attack mushroom pickers! Against this background, additional allegorical meanings arose:
- criminal or enemy base;
- human dwelling.
In the first, the villain is compared to a wild beast, and his shelter is considered a dangerous place, where you need to come in a large group and be sure to be armed. A smart precaution when it comes to a house full of terrorists, smugglers, or mafia.
The second option is tied to the context. In an ironic way, a human lair is a teenager's room, a dirty dorm for a dozen families, and a millionaire's penthouse. However, the speaker often hints at uglinessrooms, the lack of comfort or order in them. That is, again, there is an indirect comparison of the owner with the animal.
Should I use it?
This is an ordinary term that is often used, there is nothing wrong with it. Also, its colloquial form will be appropriate in communicating with friends and relatives. Feel free to memorize and diversify the vocabulary!
