A tear is such an “object” that everyone has encountered in life. We all know the tears of babies, the tears of a mother who worries about her child, and even the "stingy man's tear." But is this word so clear? It turns out that there are not only those that drip from the eyes. Detailed information that this is a tear will be presented in this article.
Let's look at the dictionary
According to the definitions given in the dictionary, the meaning of the word "tear" can be denoted as:
- In the plural, this word is interpreted as a colorless liquid with a s alty taste, which is secreted by the eyes of representatives of the class of mammals, as well as birds, amphibians and reptiles. And in the only one - this is one of the drops of the described liquid. Svetlana slowly nodded her head, and tears inaudibly ran down her face. One of the tears lingered on her flushed face and sparkled in the ray of sun that made its way through the window. The painting was very touching.
- In a poetic sense, this is a drop of anyother moisture, and not only that which exude the eyes of various individuals. The view of the morning garden fascinated with its delicate beauty: the graceful outlines of the girl's favorite orchids of a wonderful pinkish hue looked through the dew tears.
- In a figurative sense, tears can mean grief, grief. This woman was distinguished by an extraordinary stamina of nature, even in difficult moments one could not expect any complaints or tears from her, she only turned paler than usual and her eyes seemed to freeze.
Origin
Having considered what “tear” means in the dictionary, for a better assimilation of this issue, let's move on to its etymology. This word comes from the Proto-Slavic sleza, sledza, while scientists are more inclined towards the first option, from which, in particular, they were formed:
- Old Russian and Old Slavonic - tear;
- Ukrainian - tears;
- Bulgarian – sylza;
- Serbo-Croatian - Susa;
- Slovenian – sólza;
- Czech and Slovak – slza;
- Polish – łza;
- Upper Luga – sylza;
- Lower Luga – łdza.
"Tear" is a word related to the words "mucus", "slimy", (derived from Old Church Slavonic, formed from Proto-Slavic and denoting a slippery, viscous mass), as well as words from such languages as:
- Middle Low German – slîk (mucus);
- New High German - schlickern (spill);
- Middle High German – slîch (il);
- Old Norse – slíkr (smooth);
- Greek –λίγδην (touching the surface);
- Old Irish - sligim (smear).
From the above examples, it can be seen that the meaning of the word "tear" is associated with the slow movement of this object, as well as with its smooth surface. That is, at first the action and quality were described, and then the designation of the substance itself as such appeared.
Synonyms
"Tears" have many similar words. For example:
- Secret
- Select.
- Rev.
- Howl.
- Sobs.
- Dampness.
- Teardrop.
- Teardrop.
- Whine.
- Cry.
- Sputum.
- Liquid.
Phraseological units, proverbs and sayings
The word we are studying is very popular in terms of its use in set phrases and in folklore. Here are some of the most famous examples of this use.
- Breaking bitter tears.
- Bring me to tears.
- Walled out in tears.
- Shedding burning tears.
- Crocodile tears.
- Shed tears.
- Tears of joy.
- Tears of a mother.
- Mean male tear.
- A child's tear.
- Laughter through tears.
- Clean as a tear.
- Transparency of a tear.
Let's give a few sentences, which include proverbs and sayings with the word "tears":
- “Keep in mind, daughter, that the road of life is not strewn with flowers, but“Moscow does not believe in tears”, so hold on to the last”, -Anna Sergeevna sternly admonished the departing Marina.
- Natasha consoled her sister as best she could: “What happened, happened - we will survive, don’t cry, please don’t upset me, especially since “you can’t help grief with tears.”
- “Well, I got back, that’s how you should be, and I warned you that “mouse tears will be shed to the cat,” Katerina gloated.
Having considered the semantic aspect of the object under study, let's move on to the biological and find out where tears come from.
What is crying?
It is known that tears appear, as a rule, during crying. Therefore, it would be appropriate to understand the nature of this phenomenon. What is human crying?
Crying refers to one of the body's psychophysiological responses to certain internal or external influences. This reaction is accompanied by a sharply increased release from the eyes of a special fluid called secretion, or, more simply, tears.
Crying is also accompanied by: a sharp change in blood pressure, breathing, involuntary contraction of the muscles located near the eyes and above the eyebrows, as well as muscle tension related to the cervical-shoulder region.
Tears are a reaction to a mental experience, which is quite strong and instantaneous. And also they can stand out as a result of prolonged stress of the nervous system. At the same time, the impacts can be both negative and positive.
In children up to a certain age, the appearance of crying is also a reflex reaction to pain. However, as the child grows older, this reflex gradually weakens, and eventually disappears altogether.
Crying and tears
According to one of the hypotheses, the meaning of removing tears from the eyes is to protect the vessels of the eye from excessive pressure. However, opponents of this hypothesis argue that this is not the case. After all, blood pressure and eye pressure are not directly related to each other. And tears are the product of the lacrimal glands, which are not capable of quickly removing a significant amount of fluid from the body.
According to Charles Darwin, crying occurs reflexively, due to convulsive pressure exerted by the circular muscles of the eyelids on the surface of the eye. And this, in turn, leads to the expansion of blood vessels inside the eyes. When a person cries, his lacrimal glands get rid of excess fluid that has accumulated in the eye. Thus, the eye vessels do not inflate and swelling of the eyeball does not occur.
After reviewing the information about where tears come from, let's move on to considering the word under study in one of its figurative senses.
Black Stone
This is the name of a stone built into the wall of the Kaaba - a Muslim shrine that looks like a cubic structure located in the courtyard of the Sacred Mosque. For its ovoid shape, resembling a drop, it is called the "Tear of Allah".
The stone is located in the eastern corner of the shrine, at a height of one and a half meters, being enclosed in a silver frame. According to Islamic tradition, once the Black Stonewas in paradise. Its visible surface is approximately equal to the area of 16.520 cm. The composition of the stone includes several fragments of a reddish-black color, embedded in a dark base. In total, about 7-8 pieces of this stone are visible.
There are many versions about the origin of the "Tears of Allah". In Muslim tradition, it is believed that the stone was brought from paradise during the Flood and was guarded by Angels. Then the angel Jabrail delivered it to the prophet Muhammad at the time when the Kaaba was being built. At first it was a white yacht, but over time it turned black, as it was saturated with human sins.
