What does the word "equilibrium" mean? The first association is a well-known film of the same name about utopia, a certain ideal world of the future. And the second… Here we will not get ahead of ourselves, but consider everything in order.
Words
Everything flows, everything changes. The language is not left out. Some words disappear without a trace, others invariably appear. The latter, new words, will be discussed in this article, namely, the borrowed lexical unit "equilibrium". Its meaning can be found in the reference book "Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language" edited by A. N. Chudinov. However, in the dictionary entry, the word has a slightly different form - "equilibrium" - and is considered obsolete, almost obsolete. It turns out that in the lexical composition of the Russian language there are two lexemes that are similar in sound and identical in meaning. One has passed into the category of "book", and the other is already in use, albeit not in daily use. Therefore, it is imperative to understand what it is - "equilibrium" - and what it is "eaten" with.
"Equilibrium": the meaning of the word
As mentioned above, in Russian there is a similar, single-root word "equilibre" or"equilibrium", which, according to many reference books, is interpreted as "balance". It came from the French language - équilbre.
"Equilibrium" is equilibrium, and it came to Russian from the language of Foggy Albion. But it is also not native English. Where does this word come from then? Latin is considered its progenitor. This is the so-called indirect borrowing, i.e., the transition of a word from one language to another with the help of an intermediary language. The opposite process is "direct borrowing". So, literally translated from Latin aequus is "equal", and libra is "scales". In other words, “equilibrium” is balance, balanced, poise, just like “equilibrium”.
Nomad words
Among all of the above, the concept of "borrowing" was repeated more than once. In this article, it can be called the key. Why? First, equilibrium is a borrowed lexeme. And, secondly, the question still remains controversial, but is it necessary to use a foreign word if its long-used analogue exists in the native language, does this newfangled trend clog the language?
There are two opposing camps on this score. Some are sure, especially in the light of recent political events, that such words are just a tribute to fashion, and it is detrimental to the language. There are fears, and they are not groundless, that sooner or later foreign words will flood our speech and will gradually erase native Russian words from people's memory. And if there is no language, there is no people.
For example, as mentioned above, equilibrium is balance, that is, in our native language there is not only its analogue, but also many synonyms: poise, balance, harmony. Why destroy our identity then?
Another opinion
Whatever the nation, it cannot live and develop in complete isolation from others. To a greater or lesser extent, but it is in contact with other peoples. For example, trade, industrial-economic, cultural and political ties are developing. And as a result - the mutual influence of peoples on each other. Language is a direct reflection of such relationships, because it is the main means of communication. Therefore, it cannot be said that the lexicon of Russian or any other language has not passed and does not continue to pass its difficult path of development. If we take each of our words and examine it more closely, it turns out that many things are not ancient Russian, but appeared as a result of borrowings. We just don't know about it anymore. We remember only what happened relatively recently, and what happened in ancient times has already become native.
Thus, foreign words are not only a minus, but also a bold plus, because while maintaining the basic vocabulary and grammatical structure, they enrich the language, eliminate stagnation and fill in the voids invisible to the eye - missing semantic shades. For example, we already know that “equilibrium” is balance, but in such phrases as “marriage equilibrium” or “equilibrium of a drop of water”, it sounds appropriate and has a different, richer sound. Isno?
Total
In favor of the latter opinion, which supports the influence of other "overseas" languages on Russian, one more fact speaks. Consider it on the example of the analyzed word.
The lexeme "equilibrium" or "equilibrium" in the meaning of "balance" came into the Russian language a long time ago and was widely used at least in the 18-19th century. For example, we read the letters of A. O. Rosset to A. O. Smirnova, lady-in-waiting of the Russian imperial court: “Fool Europe screams about equipment and fears the influence of Russia! What kind of equipment is this when, 40 years ago, England incited all of Europe against France, as she has now armed all of Europe against Russia. Then, over time, the fashion for everything French fades, and this lexeme becomes obsolete and goes out of daily use, like many other French words. However, nature does not tolerate emptiness, as, indeed, "perpetuum mobile" - language, and "equilibrium" comes to the place of "equilibrium". In other words, borrowing is a natural process. From the outside, for a simple layman, it looks like a tribute to fashion, but in fact it is a creative act, active and all the time striving for equilibrium - balance, harmony, with the endless acquisition of what is needed and cutting off everything that is already dead.
