Some of the old words sound like a meaningless set of letters to contemporaries. They have long gone out of use and today are found only in textbooks, dictionaries and in the lexicon of older people. And how, against such a background, to understand: this is a diligent worker, but that one is not very good? Which characteristic should be countered with a bright epithet and when? A little philological research will help to cope with the situation and answer all the questions that have arisen.
What does the owner want?
The term under study comes from the verb "rachit", and further from the Old Russian root. Concepts close in meaning exist in many East Slavic languages. So, in Slovene, related meanings for "careful" are:
- favor;
- want.
Implies the good will of a person, his independent desire to do something. At the same time, in Polish you can find raczyć, which translates:
- deign;
- treat.
Which suggests hospitality at home, hospitality.
When is a characteristic appropriate?
Sometimes there are situations wherewhose wording seems inappropriate. Today you can hear a lot of kind words about a diligent owner, but nothing about the same worker. The reason was the merging of two independent and self-sufficient interpretations. Now in the foreground value:
- appropriate;
- economic;
- careful.
A colorful outdated concept indicates a sensible person who knows how to count money and knows how to efficiently spend resources. However, at the same time, there is another transcript:
- diligent;
- caring;
- zealous.
There is no contradiction. If the conversation turns to the management of a peasant economy, the management of an estate or a large corporation, then a diligent owner is a blessing. He carefully monitors the slightest changes in the market and takes care of possible difficulties in advance.
On the other hand, there is a less popular and also appropriate option for referring to an ordinary employee - a simple accountant who does not play a role in decision-making, but on whose careful attitude to filling out documents the future of the company depends, the absence of hypothetical problems with the tax service or credit institutions.
How to speak correctly?
Within the framework of everyday communication, there is no need to hammer the lexicon. To meet the sonorous definition of “thrifty” is a great success. It decorates speech, gives a touch of sophistication, but looks harmoniously only in the entourage of a theatrical production or a novel about past centuries. In the mouth of modern manthe bookish term seems to be an atavism and an attempt to evasively, without specifics, describe the merits of this or that person.
