The events that took place in Ukraine several years ago aroused interest not only in the political situation in this country, but also in the realities of local life, traditions and geographical names. In particular, many began to be interested in what Maidan is. The history of this lexeme, its meanings and etymology are discussed below.
Origin of the word
In the lexical composition of the Russian language there are both words of native Slavic origin and a large layer of borrowed units. In particular, many lexemes of foreign etymology entered our language a very long time ago and are no longer perceived as alien. For example, words such as "watermelon", "arba", "pencil", "apricot" are known to each of us from early childhood and are very familiar to the Russian ear, despite the fact that all these lexemes, in fact, are borrowings.
To understand what Maidan is, you can turn to the help of linguists. In the etymological dictionary of the Russian language, compiled by the German linguist Max Fasmer,it is noted that the origin of the word maidan goes back to the Turkic languages, that is, to the Kazakh, Tatar, Turkmen, Turkish, etc.
The lexeme "Maidan" became known to the Russian people many centuries ago, perhaps even during the time of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The Turks called any spacious flat area Maidan.
It's no secret that trade in Russia was often carried out by visitors who chose the central places of the city for the market and called these places with their usual words. Merchants from Western and Central Asia, arriving in Russian cities, laid out their goods on the squares where they purchased them, bought them up by local residents who heard someone else's speech. So, for example, the dialect word "zherdeli" came to us, denoting an apricot.
At the same time, Slavic merchants, who went for food to distant countries, adopted and brought home foreign vocabulary. The origin of the word "Maidan" is undoubtedly connected with the history of trade relations between Russia and Asian countries.
Meaning of a word in 19th century Russian
Becoming a full member of our language, having settled down in a new environment, a foreign word rarely retains its original meaning exactly. To understand how the semantics of the lexeme changed in the Russian language, one can refer to the meaning of the word "Maidan" according to Dahl.
In the work of a well-known folklorist, more than ten variants of the analyzed lexeme are noted!
Dal's dictionary says in detail what maidan is (the meaning of the word and itsdialect usage). Two hundred years ago, in different regions of our country, maidan was called any square, any elevation, a forestry plant, a tar one, a hut in the forest, a place for city gatherings, a bazaar and a part of the bazaar where they played cards and dice, a hut in which villagers gathered to discuss important issues. And in the southern regions of the Russian Empire, "maidan" was synonymous with "mound" - an ancient Scythian burial.
Thus, it is not so easy to determine exactly what "Maidan" is. Indeed, over time, this word not only lost its original semantics, but also acquired a number of new meanings, some of which, however, completely disappeared by the end of the 20th century.
Interpretation of the word in modern Russian
In our time, the word "Maidan" has almost lost its ambiguity. If several centuries ago this lexeme could be found almost everywhere on the territory of the Russian Empire, now it is found only in the south of our country and in Ukraine.
In the Kuban and along the Black Sea coast, Maidan is still called the bazaar or market square. This is probably due to the fact that Tatars and immigrants from Central Asia have lived in these regions for centuries, who have preserved the word in its original meaning. Let's remember how the word "maidan" is translated - "flat unoccupied area" - isn't it the best territory for trade?
What does "maidan" mean in Ukrainian
There are several words in Ukrainian that mean area in Russian:"Square", "Platz", "dvir", "Maidan". There are certain differences in the semantics of these lexemes.
Thus, the last lexeme is most often used to refer to a large village or town square. In other words, in the Ukrainian language Maidan is exactly the place where auctions are held, meetings are held, issues are resolved, etc. It seems that the origin of the word "Maidan" is quite consistent with this interpretation.
The rest of the synonyms of the lexeme are used mainly as a term of geometry or for naming any flat territory. For example, Russian "sowing area" - Ukrainian. "zasivna area", Rus. "square area" - Ukrainian. "area of a square".
How the toponym "Maidan Nezalezhnosti" appeared
The main square of Kyiv in Russian is called Independence Square. But this place in the city center began to be called relatively recently, namely after the collapse of the USSR and the formation of Ukraine as an independent state.
Until 1991, the main square of Kyiv at different times bore the names of Goat Swamp, Sovetskaya Square, Kalinin Square, Khreshchatitskaya Square and some other names. After the country gained independence, the authorities thought about awarding the square with some original name, which is why the word "maidan" was chosen, although the area in the center of Kyiv had never before had such a designation.
What does "maidan" mean in Ukrainian
The coup d'etat that took place not so long ago in the homeland of TarasShevchenko, introduced a new trend in the history of the word. From now on, to understand what Maidan is (the meaning of the word and its history), it is not enough to refer to explanatory dictionaries. The language develops continuously, and lexicography cannot react to these changes instantly, as a result of which new words are not marked in dictionaries for a long time.
Everyone who remembers 2014 understands what "Maidan" in Ukraine is. For many locals, this word has become synonymous with rebellious spirit, revolution, courage and fearlessness. At the same time, for most Russians (and some Ukrainians as well), this lexeme began to denote senseless cruelty, stupidity, extremism, racism, and the rejection of one's own history.
Which of these values to choose is up to you. But let's hope that in the new explanatory dictionaries the meaning of the word "Maidan" will be presented objectively.
