Russian

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Slavic *potolъkъ, from *tьlo (ground, bottom), from Proto-Indo-European *telh₂-o- (ground), from *telh₂- (to bear, carry). Cognates include Sanskrit तल (tala, surface, bottom), Latin tellūs (ground, land).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [pətɐˈɫok]
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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потоло́к (potolókm inan (genitive потолка́, nominative plural потолки́, genitive plural потолко́в, relational adjective потоло́чный)

  1. ceiling
    плева́ть в потоло́кplevátʹ v potolókto sit around doing nothing
    взять с потолка́vzjatʹ s potolkáto make up, to spin out of thin air
    • 1842, Николай Гоголь, “Том I, Глава 3”, in Мёртвые души; English translation from Constance Garnett, transl., Dead Souls, London: Chatto & Windus, 1922:
      Оставшись один, он не без удовольствия взглянул на свою постель, которая была почти до потолка.
      Ostavšisʹ odin, on ne bez udovolʹstvija vzgljanul na svoju postelʹ, kotoraja byla počti do potolka.
      Left alone he glanced with satisfaction at his bed which almost reached the ceiling.
  2. (figuratively) upper limit
  3. (figuratively) limit in someone's development
  4. (aviation) roof
Declension
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Alternative forms
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Antonyms
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Descendants
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  • Armenian: պատալոկ (patalok)
  • Georgian: პატალოკი (ṗaṭaloḳi)

Etymology 2

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Verb

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потоло́к (potolók)

  1. masculine singular past indicative perfective of потоло́чь (potolóčʹ)