In Russian folk tales or stories for children, you can often find such an expression as "a short tail." What does it mean - "stubby" and where did such an unusual word come from? Answers to these questions in the next article.
Origin of the word
The word "stubby", according to one version, comes from the Polish kuc and means "tailless animal". In Russian, in addition to the direct meaning, the word acquires a figurative meaning. Not to be confused with the Bulgarian "kuts" - "lame", these are completely different words.
Another possible origin is from the root "kus" of the words "bite", "piece". Probably, originally the word could mean "bitten off".
Word definition
The word "scanty" is a relative and qualitative adjective that has several meanings in Russian. In general, the meaning of the word can be described as "defective due to insufficient length, size or growth."
Usage examples
Most often in the direct meaning of the word "stubby" is used when describing the tail of an animal. In this case, we mean a shortened, chopped off or docked tail, that is, a “stubby” tail. This term is even applicable in veterinary medicine. Bobtail - the underdevelopment of the vertebral column of a dog or cat, is a malformation for most animals and a characteristic feature of some breeds (for example, the French bulldog for dogs and the bobtail for cats).
The animal itself without a tail, with a short or chopped off one can also be called stubby: stubby dogs, stubby mongrel, stubby fox.
The use of the word "stubby" in a figurative sense is common. In this case, the scope of the epithet greatly increases.
For example, it is appropriate to use an adjective to describe an inappropriately short piece of clothing. In particular, the expressions “short jacket” or “short camisole” are found in the literature.
Sometimes a short person is called a short person, speaking of him in a disparaging tone - a “short” little man.
And, finally, the last meaning in Russian refers to a story or exposition and is understood as short, meaningless, limited, truncated, stingy, too concise. For example: a short thought, a short phrase.
Synonyms and antonyms
Depending on the specific meaning of the word “stubby” in the context, the following synonyms are appropriate: small, chopped off, undersized, short, short, limited, short-tailed, tailless, inferior, short-haired, root-tailed, dwarf.
Examples of opposite words can be the following adjectives: long-tailed, fluffy-tailed, fluffy, long, tall, meaningful.
