Abbreviations and conventions
What the abbreviations, labels and tables on a word page mean.
One page per word
When two dictionary entries are spelled the same, they share one page, and their meanings and tables are shown together. That is why the dictionary has more entries than pages.
Parts of speech
A word can have meanings as more than one part of speech. Each meaning starts with its abbreviation.
| Short | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| v. | verb | an action or a state; the entry gives the whole conjugation. |
| n. | noun | a thing, person or idea; the entry gives the cases and the possessives. |
| adj. | adjective | a quality; the entry gives the degrees and the to-be forms. |
| ptcp. | participle | a verb form used as an adjective, listed as its own entry where it has hardened into a word. |
| adv. | adverb | how, when or where something happens. |
| pron. | pronoun | a word standing in for a noun. |
| num. | numeral | a number word, and the forms built on it. |
| det. | determiner | a word placed before a noun to point it out: this, that, every. |
| postp. | postposition | a word placed after a noun, where English puts a preposition in front. |
| conj. | conjunction | a word joining two words or two clauses. |
| ptcl. | particle | a small word carrying emphasis, doubt or question rather than a meaning of its own. |
| intj. | interjection | a call or an exclamation, standing outside the sentence. |
Labels on meanings
A meaning can have one or more of these labels. Hover over or tap a label on a word page to see what it means.
Borrowed meanings
The meaning came from another language. The word still takes normal Karachay endings.
| Short | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ar. | Arabic loanword | This meaning came into Karachay from Arabic, mostly with Islam and the written culture around it, so it is common in religion, learning, law and time-keeping. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Pers. | Persian loanword | This meaning came into Karachay from Persian, often by way of trade, poetry and the neighboring Turkic languages, so it is common in words for household things, trade, feeling and nature. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Russ. | Russian loanword | This meaning came from Russian, or through Russian from another European language, mostly in the last two centuries. Such words keep their Russian spelling in Cyrillic and name modern things: offices, machines, school subjects, politics. |
| Oss. | Ossetic loanword | This meaning came from Ossetic, the Iranian language of the next valleys east, after centuries of living side by side. Such words tend to name landforms, body parts, plants and animals. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Kab. | Kabardian loanword | This meaning came from Kabardian-Circassian, the neighbor to the north and west. Such words tend to name cooking, gear and states of mind. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Geo. | Georgian loanword | This meaning came from Georgian or its close relatives Mingrelian and Svan, across the main ridge. Such words tend to name animals, plants, food and objects. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Mong. | Mongolian loanword | This meaning came from Mongolian, mostly in the Golden Horde centuries, and is shared with the other Kipchak languages. Such words tend to name rank, war, herding and the household. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Gk. | Greek loanword | This meaning goes back to Greek, usually by way of Byzantine Christianity in the Caucasus or of Ottoman Turkish, and names church, calendar and trade things. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Arm. | Armenian loanword | This meaning came from Armenian, by trade or through a neighboring language. The word is fully Karachay now and takes the ordinary endings. |
| Turk. | Turkish loanword | This meaning came from Ottoman or modern Turkish rather than being inherited from Common Turkic, usually in the last few centuries by trade, religion or the diaspora. The word takes the ordinary Karachay endings. |
Literal or figurative
| Short | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| fig. | figurative | A carried-over meaning, not the literal one. The word pictures one thing to mean another, the way English "a flood of letters" does. The literal meaning is listed on this page too. |
Old or current
| Short | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| arch. | archaic | An old meaning that has gone out of everyday speech. You will meet it in songs, epic tales and older books. Learn to recognize it, but use the everyday word when you speak. |
| dated | dated | Still understood, but sounding old-fashioned: the kind of word grandparents use. A modern speaker would usually choose another word. |
| rare | rare | A meaning the dictionaries record but speakers seldom use. It is here so you can read it, not so you can pick it first. |
Tone
| Short | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pej. | pejorative | Disapproving or belittling. Saying this about someone shows you think poorly of them, so it is not a neutral description. |
| abus. | abusive | An insult, a word thrown at someone to wound. Stronger than pejorative: this is not something you say about a person but at them. |
| endear. | endearing | Affectionate. Used for children, loved ones and friends, and it would sound odd in formal speech or about a stranger. |
| iron. | ironic | Said with the opposite meaning in mind, or tongue in cheek. The tone of voice carries the real meaning, so on paper it can be misread. |
| humor. | humorous | A joking word. It is fine among friends and in light writing, and out of place where the matter is serious. |
| euph. | euphemistic | A softer word chosen to avoid a harsh or taboo one, as English says "passed away" for "died". Karachay does this a great deal for death, illness and the body. |
Style
| Short | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| colloq. | colloquial | Everyday spoken language. Natural in conversation and messages, but not the word you would write in an essay, a news report or a formal letter. |
| coarse | coarse | Rude or vulgar. Speakers use it, so it belongs in a dictionary, but it is not for polite company, and a learner is safer understanding it than saying it. |
| poet. | poetic | The language of verse and song. It sounds elevated or old in ordinary speech, so you will see it in poems, laments and epics rather than hear it in the market. |
Subject
| Short | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| relig. | religion | This meaning is the one used in religion: Islam, prayer, belief and ritual. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| gram. | grammar | This meaning is the one used in grammar, when talking about the language itself. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| ethnogr. | ethnography | This meaning is the one used in ethnography: customs, dress, kinship and traditional life. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| bot. | botany | This meaning is the one used in botany: plants and their parts. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| hist. | history | This meaning is the one used in history: past institutions, ranks and events. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| tech. | technology | This meaning is the one used in technology and engineering. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| anat. | anatomy | This meaning is the one used in anatomy: the parts of the body. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| med. | medicine | This meaning is the one used in medicine: illness, healing and the body. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| mil. | military | This meaning is the one used in military matters: war, weapons and ranks. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| agric. | agriculture | This meaning is the one used in farming and herding. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| sport | sport | This meaning is the one used in sport and games. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| mus. | music | This meaning is the one used in music: instruments, song and dance. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| lit. | literature | This meaning is the one used in literature: writing, verse and story. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| math. | mathematics | This meaning is the one used in mathematics. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| law | law | This meaning is the one used in law and custom. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| zool. | zoology | This meaning is the one used in zoology: animals and their parts. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| econ. | economics | This meaning is the one used in economics: money, trade and work. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| chem. | chemistry | This meaning is the one used in chemistry. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| geogr. | geography | This meaning is the one used in geography: land, water and place. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| phys. | physics | This meaning is the one used in physics. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| polit. | politics | This meaning is the one used in politics and government. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| philos. | philosophy | This meaning is the one used in philosophy. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| astron. | astronomy | This meaning is the one used in astronomy: the sky, stars and calendar. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
| arts | the arts | This meaning is the one used in the arts: painting, craft and performance. When the word also has an everyday meaning, it is listed as its own sense on this page. |
Cases
Nouns have six cases, in the singular and the plural.
| Case | When to use it |
|---|---|
| nominative | the plain dictionary form — the doer of the sentence |
| genitive | the owner — whose it is |
| accusative | a specific, known object — whom or what |
| dative | direction or recipient — to where, to whom |
| locative | where it is; also having — mende bar, "I have it" |
| ablative | where it comes from; also "than" when comparing |
Tables
Row and column headings give the Karachay with the English underneath.
- Nouns: the rows are the cases. The columns are the plain form, then one column for each owner: my, your, his / her, our, you all's, their. There are separate Singular and Plural tables. A Whose it is table covers forms like “the horse's one”.
- Adjectives: the rows are the degrees (big, bigger …). Some also have columns for the six persons: “I am big”, “you are bigger”.
- Pronouns and numbers: the page's own word is shaded.
Verbs
Common forms at the top shows the most-used tenses. The full conjugation is in sections, in this order: Simple tenses, Past compound tenses, Conditional, Inferential, Commands, requests and wishes, Ability, With another word, Emphatic and rare forms. The rows are tenses and the columns are the six persons: men “I”, sen “you”, ol “he/she/it”, biz “we”, siz “you all”, ala “they”.
ol is he, she and it at once, and its column heading says all three. The English in its cells, here and in every other table, uses one: he, unless you choose she or it in the Third person in English setting.
Each section has its own switch for the kind of form shown:
| Choice | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| affirmative | baradı | he is going |
| negative | barmaydı | he is not going |
| question | baramıdı? | is he going? |
| negative question | barmaymıdı? | isn't he going? |
With another word has only the first two. Emphatic and rare forms has no switch: each row is a two-word form with “not” already built in.
Inside a table cell
- Small gray second line: how the form is usually said in speech.
- Normal second line: another correct spelling.
- Small raised number: see the numbered note under the table.
- ? marks a question, ! a command.
- — means no such form exists. A row of dashes is labeled no such form.
Related words
- built from names the word this one comes from, and the ending used where known.
- no corpus attestation — mechanical derivation marks a verb form built by rule that we have not found in any text.
Table forms are built by rule. A form in a table has not necessarily been found in a text.
Karachay and Balkar
This dictionary focuses on Karachay. Many of the source dictionaries cover Balkar as well. A meaning used in Balkar and not in Karachay is shown with the tag Balkar, or mainly Balkar where the evidence is thinner. A word whose every meaning is Balkar carries a Balkar word badge, comes after the Karachay words in search, and has no tables, because the tables are built by Karachay rules. Balkar words and meanings are never used in the word banks or as the word of the day. A Balkar spelling is the same word spelled the Balkar way, shown for reference.
Sources
A word page names the dictionaries its meanings rest on under Sources, each by author, year and English title, alphabetically by author. An editor's name is marked “(ed.)”. The sources page gives each one's full English and original titles. Spelling and alphabets are explained on the spelling and scripts page.