{{short description|Term for strong obscene profanity in Russian}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} [[File:Mat (Russian profanity).png|thumb|350px|The mat-word "хуй" ("''khuy''") in Max Vasmer's {{ill|Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch|lt=''Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch''|ru|Этимологический словарь русского языка Макса Фасмера}} (''Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language''). Heidelberg, 1950–1958]] '''''Mat, matershchina, mat language''''' ({{langx|ru|мат; матерщи́на / ма́терный язы́к|matershchina'' / ''materny yazyk|link=no}}) are the Russian terms for highly vulgar, obscene, or profane language in Russian and some other Slavic language communities. A person who uses ''mat'' profusely is called ''matershchinnik'' (матерщинник).

== The four basic mat words == In 2013, Roskomnadzor compiled a list of four lexical roots, with any words derived from these roots &ndash; nouns, adjectives, verbs, participles etc. &ndash; of the Russian language which it deemed "absolutely unacceptable in the mass media": ''khuy'' ('cock'); ''pizda'' ('cunt'); ''yebat{{'}}'' ('to fuck'); and ''blyad{{'}}'' ('whore'). Roskomnadzor defined the banned terms as follows: "Obscene designation of the male genital organ, obscene designation of the female genital organ, obscene designation of the process of copulation and obscene designation of a woman of dissolute behavior, as well as all linguistic units derived from these words".<ref name=iz20131225>[https://iz.ru/news/563178 Роскомнадзор накажет СМИ только за четыре матерных слова], ''Izvestiya'', 25 December 2013</ref>

''Mat'' expressions have thousands of forms, due to the highly inflected character of the Russian language, but ultimately center on these four words.<ref name="Putin">{{cite magazine| url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/putins-four-dirty-words|title=Putin's Four Dirty Words |first= David| last= Remnick|date= 5 May 2014|magazine= The New Yorker| access-date= 6 September 2017}}</ref><ref>Viktor Yerofeyev, [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/09/15/dirty-words-2 Dirty Words. The unique power of Russia’s underground language], ''The New Yorker'', September 8, 2003</ref>

''Mat''-words were included by Polish publisher Jan Baudouin de Courtenay in the 3rd and 4th editions of the ''Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language'', which was printed four times in 1903–1909 (twice) and in 1911–1912, 1912–1914.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C._%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC_4_(%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C_1909).djvu&page=626|title=English: Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language|first=Владимир Иванович Даль, Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de|last=Courtenay|date=31 May 1909|via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C._%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC_3_(%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C_1907).djvu&page=140|title=English: Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language|first=Владимир Иванович Даль, Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de|last=Courtenay|date=31 May 1907|via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C._%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC_1_(%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C_1903).djvu&page=669|title=English: Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language|first=Владимир Иванович Даль, Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de|last=Courtenay|date=31 May 1863|via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C._%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC_1_(%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C_1903).djvu&page=140|title=English: Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language|first=Владимир Иванович Даль, Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de|last=Courtenay|date=31 May 1863|via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rsl.ru/datadocs/doc_9784ni.pdf |title=В. И. Даль. Биобиблиографический указатель / Рос. гос. б-ка, НИО библиографии; Сост. О.Г. Горбачева. Ред. Т.Я. Брискман. Библиогр. ред. Е.А. Акимова. — М.: Пашков Дом, 2004. — С. 9—11. — 134 с. |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=30 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130221230/https://www.rsl.ru/datadocs/doc_9784ni.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The inclusion of rude and abusive words became an obstacle to the reprinting of this version of the dictionary in the Soviet Union for censorship reasons.<ref>Предисловие от редакции // Толковый словарь живого великорусского языка. В 4 т. Том 1 / В.И. Даль. — 6-е изд. стер. — М.: Дрофа, Русский язык-Медиа, 2011. — С. III—XII.</ref>

=== Khuy ===

''Khuy'' ({{lang|ru|хуй; {{audio|Ru-Khuy.ogg|хуй}}}}), sometimes transliterated as ''hui'' or ''hooy'', means 'cock', 'penis', or for an equivalent colloquial register, 'dick'. The etymology of the term is unclear. Mainstream theories include from Proto-Indo European (PIE) *''ks-u-'', related to хвоя (''khvoya'', 'pine needles'), attributed to Pederson, 1908.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://monstar.nnover.ru/blog/abuse/27651.html#Comments| title= Comments| website= monstar.nnover.ru| access-date= 16 March 2007| archive-date= 9 May 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070509170209/http://monstar.nnover.ru/blog/abuse/27651.html#Comments| url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.philology.ru/linguistics2/kovalyov-05.htm| website= philology.ru| trans-title= Russian Mat – Consequences of Destruction of the Taboo; Cultural taboos and their influence on the result of communication |author= Voronezh| year= 2005| pages= 184–197| script-title=ru:РУССКИЙ МАТ – СЛЕДСТВИЕ УНИЧТОЖЕНИЯ ТАБУ (Культурные табу и их влияние на результат коммуникации.)| access-date= 6 September 2017| language= ru}}</ref>

The first volume of the ''Great Dictionary of Mat'' by the Russian lexicographer {{ill|Aleksey Plutser-Sarno|ru|Плуцер-Сарно, Алексей Юрьевич}} treats only expressions derived from the word ''khuy'', numbering over 500 entries.<ref>Плуцер-Сарно, А. Ю. Большой словарь мата. — СПб. : Лимбус Пресс, 2005. — Т. 1 : Опыт построения справочно-библиографической базы данных лексических и фразеологических значений слова «хуй». — 392 pp. {{ISBN|5-8370-0161-1}}</ref>

A minor internet meme swept the Russian segment of the internet with a clip from the Chinese play ''Li Huiniang'', where the heroine's name was repeated several times, which for a Russian ear sounds like ''khuynya'' ({{lang|ru|хуйня}}), an obscene term for something unknown or unimportant or strange.<ref>Николай Ищущий, [https://proza.ru/2024/06/28/100 *** Ня? Шинима *** ня?], ''proza.ru''</ref>

=== Pizda === ''Pizda&#769;'' ({{lang|ru|пизда́; {{audio|Ru-Pizda.ogg|пизда}}}}) means 'cunt'. A derivative of this word is the interjection and noun ''pizdets''. This word, depending on the situation, can express a vivid form of almost any emotion, ranging from sadness and annoyance ("''Pizdets'', my girlfriend cheated on me", or "''Pizdets'', I missed my flight"), to an expression of joy ("''Pizdets'', my son has just been born!")<ref name="Putin"/>

The second volume of the ''Great Dictionary of Mat'' by Plutser-Sarno treats only expressions derived from the word ''pizda'', numbering over 500 entries.<ref>Плуцер-Сарно, А. Ю. Большой словарь мата. — СПб. : Лимбус Пресс, 2005. — Т. 2 : Лексические и фразеологические значения слова «пизда». — 536 pp. — {{ISBN|5-8370-0395-9}}.</ref>

=== Yebát' === ''Yebát{{'}}'' ({{lang|ru|еба́ть; {{audio|Ru-Yebat.ogg|ебать}}}}) means 'to fuck (somebody)'. This verb usually expresses a unilateral action and requires (or implies) a direct object. The mutual action expressed in English with verbs 'to copulate', 'to have intercourse' is rendered in mat by the reciprocal form of the verb, ''yebát{{'}}sya'' ({{lang|ru|еба́ться}}): 'to fuck each other'. Historically, women have been perceived as sexually submissive, so the verb mostly refers to an action of a man. In modern times it may refer to a woman's action, in contexts when she initiates (or plans to initiate) the intercourse or plays an active role. See the wiktionary entry for some figurative uses of the word.

=== Blyád' === {{Redirect|Blyat|the album by Capital Bra|Blyat (album)}} ''Blyád''' ({{lang|ru|блядь; {{audio|Ru-блядь.ogg|блядь}}}}) means 'whore'.<ref name=Putin/> In the Old East Slavic the word блѧдь (блядь in modern orthography) – ''blyad'', meaning: 'deception, nonsense, insane, adulteress',<ref>Срезневский, Измаил Иванович. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Srez1.djvu&page=73 "Материалы для словаря древнерусского языка по письменным памятникам" ("Materialy dlya slovarya drevnerusskogo yazyka po pis'mennym pamyatnikam") – ''The Materials for a Dictionary of the Old Russian Language on manuscripts''. Том 1 А–К (1893)/ С. 123]</ref> is preserved in the Church Slavonic in three meanings: 'deception, delusion', 'idle talk, trivia' and 'debauchery, adultery'.<ref>Дьяченко, Григорий Михайлович. «Полный церковнославянский словарь» («Polniy cerkovno-slavyanskiy slovar») – [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APolniy_cerkovno-slavyanskiy_slovar_dyachenko.1900.pdf&page=87 «Complete Church Slavonic Dictionary» / С. 47]</ref>

To enhance the expressivity, the word may be combined with the non-''mat'' insult ''suka'' ({{lang|ru|сука}}, 'bitch') to form ''suka, blyád'' (сука, блядь) especially among Internet users and memes, an approximate analogue for the expression 'fucking shit'. The term is popular in the ''Counter-Strike'' video game community in the stylized form of "rush B, cyka blyat".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Villanueva |first1=Jamie |last2=Heath |first2=Jerome |title=CS:GO Dictionary: A Complete Guide to Counter-Strike Slang |url=https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/csgo-slang-guide-dictionary-23242 |website=Dot Esports |date=3 March 2021}}</ref>

=== History and use === Some claim that the term ''mat'' derives from the Russian word for mother, a component of the key phrase Ёб твою мать, ''yob tvoyu mat'' ('fuck your mother').<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.russki-mat.net/e/mat_VEvrofeyev.htm |title= The Unique Power of Russia's Underground Language| last= Yerofeyev| first= Victor|authorlink=Viktor Yerofeyev| date= 12 October 2003| website= russki-mat.net}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2023|reason=not an expert in linguistics, nor refers to one}} However, there is a Russian expression благим матом (''blagim matom'') which has no relation to obscenities, and whose etymology is unsure as well.<ref>[https://newslab.ru/article/415266 Благим матом]</ref>

Obscenities are among the earliest recorded attestations of the Russian language (the first written ''mat'' words date to the early Middle Ages<ref>Obscene lexics in birch bark documents</ref>).

Mikhail Lermontov's 1834 ''A Holiday in Peterhof'' (Петергофский праздник) is an example of the usage of ''mat''.

{| border="0" align="center" width="80%" |- | width="30%" | <poem>And so I will not pay you: However, if you are a simple ''whore'' You should consider it an honor To be acquainted with the cadet's ''dick''!<ref name=Putin/></poem> | width="30%" lang="ru"| <poem>Итак, тебе не заплачу я: Но если ты простая ''блядь'', То знай: за честь должна считать Знакомство юнкерского ''хуя''!</poem> | width="30%" | <poem>Iták, tebé ne zaplachú ya: No yésli ty prostáya ''blyad''', To znay: za chest' dolzhná schitát' Znakómstvo yúnkerskogo ''khúya''!</poem> |}

The prologue to ''Luka Mudishchev'', probably written at some time in the mid 19th century, was often ascribed to Ivan Barkov, an obscene poet who lived in the 18th century:<ref>{{cite web| url= http://barkoviana.narod.ru/luka_preface.html| title= «Лука Мудищев» — история и мифология расхожие заблуждения («Luka Mudishchev» – istoriya i mifologiya raskhozhiye zabluzhdeniya)| trans-title= ''Luka Mudischev'' – The History and Mythology: Widespread Misconceptions)| language= ru| website= barkoviana.narod.ru| access-date= 8 August 2008| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071217193936/http://barkoviana.narod.ru/luka_preface.html| archive-date= 17 December 2007| df= dmy-all}}</ref> {| border="0" align="center" width="80%" |- | width="30%" | <poem>Hear ye, matrons and widows fair, Young girls with ''cherry'' still untouched! Let me tell you up front A few words about ''fucking''<!-- editor Harald Forkbeard has translated from Russian into English, corrected by JC Nelson 1.16 --></poem> | width="30%" lang="ru" | <poem>О вы, замужние, о вдовы, О девки с ''целкой'' наотлёт!{{efn|"с ''целкой'' наотлёт" is a pun with the expression "with ''shashka naotlyot'', i.e., charging with ''shashka'' aloft, ready to strike.}} Позвольте мне вам наперёд Сказать о ''ебле'' два-три слова.</poem> | width="30% | <poem> O vy, zamuzhnie, o vdovy, O devki s ''tselkoy'' naotlyot! Pozvol'te mne vam naperyod Skazat' o ''yeble'' dva-tri slova.</poem> |}

''Mat'' is also used in humor or puns by juxtaposing innocent words so that the result will sound as if an obscene word was used. An example is a Don Cossack song cited in ''And Quiet Flows the Don'' by Mikhail Sholokhov:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fedor-krjukov.narod.ru/o_KRJUKOVE/Chernov_o_KRJUKOVE.htm|title=А. Чернов. Запрещенный классик|website=fedor-krjukov.narod.ru}}</ref> <blockquote lang="ru"> :Щуку я, щуку я, щуку я поймала. :Девица красная, уху я варила. :Уху я, уху я, уху я варила. </blockquote> Here Уху я варила ('I cooked the fish stew') may be reinterpreted as У хуя варила ('Cooked near the dick') or even Ух, хуй я варила ('Ooh, I cooked a dick').

The contemporaneous use of ''mat'' is widespread, especially in the army, police, blue-collar workers, the criminal world, and many other all-male milieus, with particular fervor in the male-dominated military and the structurally similar social strata.<ref name= mikhailin>{{cite journal |last=Mikhailin|first=Vadim |title=Russian Army Mat as a Code System Controlling Behaviour in the Russian Army|journal=The Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies |url= https://journals.openedition.org/pipss/93|volume=1 |date=29 September 2004 |access-date=24 May 2018}}</ref>

===Legal issues=== In the Soviet Union obscenity was censored in print and in the media, and could be prosecuted as petty hooliganism when used in public places. With the collapse of the Soviet Union censorship of mat stopped, and a number of writers, singers, and actors started using taboo-shattering ''mat'' in their works. For example, the singer Sergey "Shnur" Shnurov is notorious of using ''mat'' in his songs.<ref>{{ill|Artyom Rondarev|ru|Артём Рондарев}}, [https://actualcomment.ru/rasfigachechnaya.html Расфигачечная], 9 February 2016</ref>

In 2013 ''mat'' was banned in Russia in all mass media, printed and electronic.<ref name="Putin"/><ref name=iz20131225/> Since 1 July 2014, ''mat'' has been banned in Russia from all movies, theatrical productions, and concerts.<ref name="Putin"/>

In modern Russia, since the times of the Soviet Union, the use of obscenities in public aggravates a disorderly conduct charge and may lead to its qualification as petty hooliganism, punishable under article 20.1.1 of the Offences Code of Russia,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.consultant.ru/popular/koap/13_21.html#p5511 | title= Article 20.1 | work= Offences Code of Russia| date= 8 December 2003 | quote= нарушение общественного порядка, выражающее явное неуважение к обществу, сопровождающееся нецензурной бранью в общественных местах ... влечет наложение административного штрафа в размере от пятисот до одной тысячи рублей или административный арест на срок до пятнадцати суток" ('disorderly conduct displaying explicit disrespect to society, accompanied by obscene language in public ... is punishable by a fine from 500 to 1000 rubles or arrest up to 15 days')| via= consultant.ru| publisher= Government of Russia}}</ref> although there was no clear legal definition of what exactly constitutes an obscenity.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://old.lenta.ru/news/2009/06/24/strict/ |script-title=ru:Министерство связи определит понятие нецензурной речи| trans-title= Department of communications will define 'obscene language'| website= Lenta.Ru| date= 24 July 2009| language= ru}}</ref>

===Notable incidents=== *2003: "Khuy Voyne!" ("Dick to the war!"), a pacifist phrase attributed to the Russian girl pop duo t.A.T.u. *2014: "Putin khuylo!", abbreviated as {{lang|ru|"ПТН X̆ЛО"}} (PTN KhLO). *2015: {{ill|Debils, blyad|ru|Дебилы, блядь! (фраза Лаврова)}} abbreviated as {{lang|ru|"ДБЛ БЛД"}} (DBL BLD): In August 2015, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov swore in low voice, but audibly, during a press conference with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir while the interpreter was translating his words. It is unknown who or what the swear was targeting.<ref>[https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2787109 «Дебилы, …» Почему Сергей Лавров выругался матом], ''Kommersant'', 12 August 2015</ref> Lavrov's only commentary was that he didn't lose his temper and that he is not the only whose utterance was unintentionally caught by a microphone that was not turned off.<ref>[https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/574d8a369a794702bb2c4bbe Лавров прокомментировал свое высказывание о «дебилах»] 31 May 2016</ref> The phrase became a Russian internet meme and a cliche in reference to stupid acts or utterances.<ref>Natalya Shishkina, "Трансформация интернет-мемов в телевизионных СМИ" [https://scipress.ru/upload/philology/fa122020.pdf ''Филологический аспект'' no. 12, vol. 68, 2020], p.74</ref> *2022: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself", {{langx|ru|Русский военный корабль, иди нахуй|Russky voyenny korabl, idi nakhuy}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈrusːkʲɪj vɐˈjenːɨj kɐˈrablʲ ɪˈdʲi ˈnaxʊj|pron}};<ref>{{cite news |author1=<!-- Staff writer(s) --> |title=Герои мема "Русский военный корабль, иди на..." с острова Змеиный живы, но взяты в плен |url=https://www.bbcrussian.com/russian/news-60523774 |access-date=12 March 2022 |work=BBC News Russian |publisher=BBC World Service |date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312151119/https://www.bbcrussian.com/russian/news-60523774 |archive-date=12 March 2022 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Clapp |first1=Alexander |title=Fighters with Ukraine's foreign legion are being asked to sign indefinite contracts. Some have refused |url=https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/11/fighters-with-ukraines-foreign-legion-are-being-asked-to-sign-indefinite-contracts-some-have-refused |access-date=12 March 2022 |newspaper=The Economist |date=11 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312051931/https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/03/11/fighters-with-ukraines-foreign-legion-are-being-asked-to-sign-indefinite-contracts-some-have-refused |archive-date=12 March 2022}}</ref>

==Other profanity== Russian lexicographer {{ill|Aleksey Plutser-Sarno|ru|Плуцер-Сарно, Алексей Юрьевич}} performed a survey and listed 35 roots that respondents included into the category of ''mat''. In addition to the four basic ''mat'' terms he sinled out three more: {{lang|ru|муды}}, (''mudy'', testicles), {{lang|ru|манда}}, (''manda'', female genitals), and {{lang|ru|елда}}, (''yelda'', male genitals).<ref>Плуцер-Сарно А. Ю. О семантике слова «мат». In: ''Большой словарь мата''. Том 1. Лимбус Пресс, 2005.</ref> In his ''The Large Dictionary of Mat'' ({{lang|ru|Большой словарь мата}}) Plutser-Sarno lists a large number of euphemisms for ''mat'' words and exptessions.

== See also == * Fenya * Russian jokes#Taboo vocabulary * Seven dirty words * ''Leningrad'', a Russian ska/punk band famous for its vulgar lyrics * ''Sektor Gaza'', a Russian metaironic horror hard-rock band famous for its vulgar lyrics * Polish profanity

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == *{{Commons category-inline}} *[http://www.plutser.ru/ Русский мат с Алексеем Плуцером-Сарно] – online version of the ''Dictionary of Russian Mat'' by Alexei Plutser-Sarno {{in lang|ru}} *[http://www.russki-mat.net/ Russian slang explained in English, French and German] *[http://www.languagehat.com/archives/000833.php Cited portions of a ''The New Yorker'' article.] *[http://www.russki-mat.net/e/mat_VEvrofeyev.htm The unique power of Russia's underground language], ''The New Yorker'' via russki-mat.net *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPdfp1OAEbY&list=UUvfMQ1ayRJJcrInPQLuZgZg&index=15&feature=plcp 'Dead Man's Bluff' by Mikhail Volokhov. Director Andrei Zhitinkin]. First play in Russia to be written entirely in profanities. Productions of this play have always been surrounded by controversy: in Russia by Andrei Zhitinkin, with actors Oleg Fomin and Sergei Chonishvili; in France by Bernard Sobel with actors Denis Lavant and Hugues Quester; in Germany and Switzerland the parts were played in French and German by Armin Rohde and Roberto Guerra.

{{Sexual slang}} {{Profanity}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mat (Russian Profanity)}} Category:Russian profanity Category:Russian slang Category:Sexual slang Category:Russian words and phrases