What is a mustache, for sure everyone understands. But the fact that the ancient Slavs in one word denoted a mustache and a beard, and that a mustache can be an organ of touch and reproduction, is hardly known to many people. You can learn more about what a mustache is, as well as about the origin of this word, about synonyms for it from this review.
In men
Dictionaries provide several interpretations. We consider them, and also give examples of sentences explaining the meaning of the word “mustache”.
As dictionaries tell us, the word "mustache" is an anatomical term and means half a mustache. At the same time, it is said about the latter that they are hair that grows in men above the upper lip.
Example 1: "Kovrovsky was so nervous that he did not notice how, completely surrendering to his gloomy thoughts, hung his head to one side, began to pinch and twist his right mustache, while others watched him with interest."
Example 2: "The mustache of Alexander Semenovich immediately attracted close attention to his face, they were black in color, quite long and fell down from the corners of the mouth - the resemblance to Taras Shevchenko was very noticeable."
The organ of touch in animals
The second meaning of the word “mustache” is the stiff, bristle-like hair of an animal. Such hair grows on the sides of the upper lip and serves as the organ of touch.
Example: “When looking for food, cats, in addition to sight, hearing and smell, also use the organ of touch - a mustache. In an ambush, with the help of a mustache, they feel the slightest vibrations, vibrations that the prey generates. After a successful hunt, the cat, before "starting the meal," runs a mouse over the antennae to determine whether she is alive or not. Why does she need this? It turns out that there is a risky living mouse, it can inflict micro-wounds, fraught with infection ”.
Organ in the digestive system of a whale
This is another meaning of the word being studied. This special organ, which is a plate consisting of a flexible horn formation. A whalebone hangs from the sky and serves to separate plankton from the main food array. It is in place of teeth that are missing in the upper jaw. In total, whales have about 350-800 horn plates, their length is from 20 to 450 centimeters.
Example: “Today, a whalebone is used for various kinds of crafts, brushes are made from it, mattresses and furniture are stuffed with it. Before plastic was invented, the mustache was an essential element for sewing clothes and underwear, giving these products a certain shape. ”
The reproductive organ in plants
Another definition of "mustache" is a term used by botanists to refer to a thin shoot or stem of a plant, which serves either for propagation or for attachment to any base.
Example: “Among the recommendations of specialists related to this period, there were instructions that root crops, legumes, bulbs, potatoes should be sown and planted, thin out seedlings, destroy pests and weeds, water and do organic dressing. And you also need to cut plants to slow the growth of shoots and mustaches of strawberries, dig up flower bulbs, tubers, cut flowers, and harvest for long-term storage. ”
Synonyms
Continuing the study of the question of what a mustache is, we consider synonyms for it.
- The word used in the meaning of "hair growing over the upper lip of a person" includes such as hair; sheath, brushwood, stubble.
- In the case of animals, there are such synonyms as vibrissa (mustache in cats, foxes, raccoons), scapula (paired organ of insects, located on the head, used to touch and smell).
- There are synonyms for a whalebone - maatbard (another name for a whalebone) and valosin (artificial whalebone soaked with reed rubber).
- When we talk about plant organs, words that are close in meaning are shoot, tendril, arrow.
Etymology
For a better understanding of what a mustache is, let us turn to its etymology. Two features are interesting in the origin of the word being studied. The first of these is that initially in many languages, mustaches and beards were denoted by the same word. Most likely, this is due to the fact that, as a rule, both types of vegetation were simultaneously present on the face of men and they were perceived in combination.
Such a picture is also characteristic of the Pre-Slavic language, in which there were the words vǫs, ǫs, referring to both the mustache and the beard. From them, in particular, came the old Russian "ss" - "mustache, beard." From the last formed:
- Russian - "mustache";
- Belarusian and Ukrainian - “vus”;
- Bulgarian - "с";
- Slovenian - vos;
- Czech - vous;
- Slovak - fúz;
- Polish - wąs;
- Upper Luga - wusy.
"Relatives" of the Russian "mustache" are:
- Old Prussian wanso, meaning the first facial hair;
- Old Irish fés - “beard” and find - “hair”;
- Greek ἴονθος - "youthful beard";
- Old High German wintbrâwa - “eyelash”.
The second feature regarding the origin of the word "mustache" is that serious battles are being waged between etymologists and scholars. So, some researchers associate it with:
- Old Indian aṅçúṣ, meaning "fiber, stem";
- Greek ἀνθερεών in the meaning of “chin” and ἄγκιστρον - “hook located on a fishing rod”;
- German Angel, which means "fishing rod";
- Avestan ąsu, which translates as "stem."
For reference, we note that Avestan is one of the most ancient Iranian languages, which are represented by written monuments. For example, such as "Avesta" - a set of Zoroastrian religious texts.
Other etymologists categorically deny the connection of the "mustache" with these four options, Max Fasmer, in particular, refers to them.