пушка

Bulgarian

Etymology

Common Slavic, from Old High German buhsa (“box”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā (“box”), from Late Latin buxis (“box”), from Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “boxwood box”). The "firearm" sense dates back to the 14th c.

There are numerous cognates in Slavic and Balkan languages, including Hungarian puska, Romanian pușcă, Albanian pushkë, Czech puška and Russian пу́шка (púška).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpuʃkɐ]
• Syllabification^(key): пу‧шка
• Hyphenation^(key): пуш‧ка

Noun

пу́шка • (púška) f

1. rifle

Declension

Declension of пу́шка

	singular	plural
indefinite	пу́шка púška	пу́шки púški
definite	пу́шката púškata	пу́шките púškite

References

• “пушка”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “пушка”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (2002), “пушка¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 6 (пỳскам – словàр²), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, pages 20-21

Macedonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpuʃka]
• Hyphenation: пуш‧ка
• Rhymes: -uʃka

Noun

пу́шка • (púška) f (plural пу́шки, diminutive пу́вче or пу́шкиче)

1. rifle, gun

Declension

Declension of пушка

	singular	plural
indefinite	пушка (puška)	пушки (puški)
definite unspecified	пушката (puškata)	пушките (puškite)
definite proximal	пушкава (puškava)	пушкиве (puškive)
definite distal	пушкана (puškana)	пушкине (puškine)
vocative	пушко (puško)	пушки (puški)

Related terms

• пу́шкар m (púškar)
• пушка́рница f (puškárnica)
• пушка́рање n (puškáranje)

References

• “пушка” in Дигитален речник на македонскиот јазик (Digitalen rečnik na makedonskiot jazik) [Digital dictionary of the Macedonian language] − drmj.eu

Russian

Etymology 1

Common Slavic. Inherited from Old East Slavic пушка (puška) / пушька (pušĭka). Further etymology is disputed:

• Vasmer: borrowed from Old High German buhsa via Czech puška, Polish puszka, from Vulgar Latin buxis, from Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís). Initial п- is of Bavarian origin.
• Černyh: possibly from *пущька (*puščĭka), from пущати (puščati, “to throw projectiles; to fire”). On the basis of West Slavic (and partly South Slavic) this word hybridized with Old High German buhsa. Compare Lower Sorbian buška.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpuʂkə]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

пу́шка • (púška) f inan (genitive пу́шки, nominative plural пу́шки, genitive plural пу́шек, relational adjective пу́шечный, diminutive пу́шечка)

1. (military) gun, cannon

   90-мм зени́тная пу́шка ― 90-mm zenítnaja púška ― 90-mm anti-aircraft gun

   автомати́ческая пу́шка ― avtomatíčeskaja púška ― autocannon

2. (colloquial) piece, handgun
3. (colloquial) hoax
4. (slang) something evoking strong emotions

Usage notes

In modern military usage, пу́шка (púška) refers to an artillery piece with a relatively long barrel, operating with a relatively low angle of fire or as a direct fire weapon, e.g. a field gun, an anti-aircraft gun, or an autocannon.

Historically, the word пу́шка (púška) had been used to refer to any large artillery piece, similarly to the historical usage of the English word cannon.

Declension

Declension of пу́шка (inan fem-form velar-stem accent-a reduc) 

	singular	plural
nominative	пу́шка púška	пу́шки púški
genitive	пу́шки púški	пу́шек púšek
dative	пу́шке púške	пу́шкам púškam
accusative	пу́шку púšku	пу́шки púški
instrumental	пу́шкой, пу́шкою púškoj, púškoju	пу́шками púškami
prepositional	пу́шке púške	пу́шках púškax

Pre-reform declension of пу́шка (inan fem-form velar-stem accent-a reduc) 

	singular	plural
nominative	пу́шка púška	пу́шки púški
genitive	пу́шки púški	пу́шекъ púšek
dative	пу́шкѣ púškě	пу́шкамъ púškam
accusative	пу́шку púšku	пу́шки púški
instrumental	пу́шкой, пу́шкою púškoj, púškoju	пу́шками púškami
prepositional	пу́шкѣ púškě	пу́шкахъ púškax

Related terms

• пушка́рь m (puškárʹ)

References

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “пушка”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999) “пу́шка”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 2 (панцирь – ящур), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 86

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pʊʂˈka]

Noun

пушка́ • (pušká) m inan

1. genitive singular of пушо́к (pušók)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Common Slavic, from Old High German būhse, from Latin pyxis, from Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pûʃka/
• Hyphenation: пуш‧ка

Noun

пу̏шка f (Latin spelling pȕška, diminutive пу̏шкица)

1. rifle
2. gun

Declension

Declension of пушка

	singular	plural
nominative	пу̏шка	пушке
genitive	пушке	пу̏ша̄ка̄
dative	пушки / пушци	пушкама
accusative	пушку	пушке
vocative	пушко	пушке
locative	пушки / пушци	пушкама
instrumental	пушком	пушкама

Descendants

• → Albanian: pushkë

Further reading

• “пушка”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpuʃkɐ]

Noun

пу́шка • (púška) f inan (genitive пу́шки, nominative plural пу́шки)

1. cannon

   Synonym: гармата (harmata)

2. rifle

   Synonym: рушниця (rušnycja)

Declension

Declension of пу́шка
(inan hard fem-form accent-a reduc)

	singular	plural
nominative	пу́шка púška	пу́шки púšky
genitive	пу́шки púšky	пу́шок púšok
dative	пу́шці púšci	пу́шкам púškam
accusative	пу́шку púšku	пу́шки púšky
instrumental	пу́шкою púškoju	пу́шками púškamy
locative	пу́шці púšci	пу́шках púškax
vocative	пу́шко púško	пу́шки púšky

References

• “пушка”, in Словник.ua [Slovnyk.ua] (in Ukrainian)