Today we will analyze in detail the meaning of the word "couloirs". Consider the areas in which it is used and where it came from.
Etymology
It is now very rarely used and has practically disappeared from speech. It is indicated in the Dictionary of Foreign Words of the Russian Language and was borrowed from the French back in the 19th century. It comes from the French couloir (corridor), which, in turn, was formed from the word couler (run, flow).
Some sources associate the origin of the word with the Latin colare, which means "to sift". But this version has no confirmation.
The lexical meaning of the word
The most common is the following. Lounges are narrow corridors and utility rooms in the parliament buildings, theaters and concert halls, which are designed for relaxation during breaks and intermissions. Here you can take an interview or exchange views on the issue under discussion. These rooms are located on each floor of the building and are adjacent to the meeting rooms and lobby.
In the political sphere, the expressions “behind the scenes” and “decision made behind the scenes” used to characterize unofficial “behind the scenes” deals.
Next value -geographical term. The couloirs are hollows in the slopes of the mountains, which are directed downstream of the water and narrow towards the foot. They are divided into three types: ice (covered with dense ice), snow (determine the path of snow and avalanches), rocky (determine the path of water flow and dumping of stones). Weathering products roll down and form cone screes.
Climbers often use couloirs to reach the summit (Norton couloir on Everest).
In the explanatory dictionary of S. I. Ozhegov it is said that the corridors are the environment of parliamentary circles (public and political), informal communication in this environment, as well as secret agreements adopted in it. The latter is taken from the Historical Dictionary.
Correct use of word forms in speech
Now the word is almost never used in the singular. Couloir is an inanimate masculine noun (ku-lu-ar), belongs to the 2nd declension, the root is couloir-. From the word, you can form the adjective "behind the scenes" and the adverb "behind the scenes".
This borrowed word can be found in various fields of human activity - political, social, construction and scientific (geography). To date, the word "couloir" is often used in conversation among the French, in Russia it is rarely heard.
