Réflexions lexicologiques à propos des mots russes pour la figue

Résumé En

Lexicological reflections about the words applied to figs in russian After a brief examination of the provenance and spread of the fig-tree, the four groups of words applied to figs in Russian (figa, smokva, inžir and vinnaja jagoda) are studied in relation to their Slavonic and Indo-European cognates, uses and probable derivation. The Indo-European background to the figa word-group is fïrst investigated, with information on secondary senses (including indecent ones) of possible relevance to Russian that were acquired by Indo-European words of this group. The Russian derivatives are then examined, especially with reference to their origin and development, including secondary meanings and euphemistic uses. In discussing the smokva group, particular attention is paid to whether the root word is a loanword from Germanie or a native root that has left traces in Gothic. The conclusion reached is that it is more likely to be of native origin than borrowed. Semantic confusion between fruit names in their application to figs is studied with particular reference to the application of vinnaja jagoda to figs rather than the expected grapes. Possible explanations are offered. The derivation of inžir from Turkic and ultimately Iranian languages is examined, and the general conclusion is drawn that, of the three main Russian words for fig-tree and fig (figa, inžir and smokva), two at least are borrowed, as might be expected, while smokva is more probably from a native root.