Zhovten is the Ukrainian name for one of the autumn months. Although it may sound somewhat unusual to the Russian ear, the roots of the origin of this unusual name are quite understandable.
Zhovten - this is the name in the Ukrainian language that has the second autumn month - October.
origin of name
The etymology of the word "zhovten" in the Ukrainian language is quite understandable: it comes from the verb "zhovtyti", which means "yellow" in Russian. The fact is that the territory of Ukraine for the most part is located in more southern latitudes, in comparison with the predominant part of Russia. Therefore, the climatic conditions there are somewhat milder, and therefore the foliage on the trees begins to turn yellow only in October, and not in September, as in most regions of our country.
The history of the name “zhovten” is rather ancient. According to experts in the field of Ukrainian linguistics, it goes back to the period of Kievan Rus.
The assignment of the name to the month following October - November - is based on the same logic in the Ukrainian language. After the leaves on the trees turn yellow, they begin to fall off, therefore November in this language is called "leaf fall".
Other names
At the same time, there are other variants of the names of this autumn month in the Ukrainian language. Specialists in the field of national linguistics emphasize that most of them are also based on the description of natural phenomena inherent in this period of the year. Moreover, the nature of these phenomena is quite understandable even to a Russian person who is completely unfamiliar with the rules of word formation in the Ukrainian language.
So, one of the variants of the name of October, widespread among the people, is "mud": obviously, in this way it reflects the muddy roads beginning in connection with prolonged rains. Another version of the name is "gloomy": it reflects the deterioration of the weather during this period of time and the frequent absence of the sun in the sky. The third option used is "wintertime": this name emphasizes that the onset of October heralds the imminent arrival of the winter season.
Another group of variants of the popular names for October is associated with the typical occupations of the peasants during this period of the year. So, for example, in some parts of the country he was called "pazdernik". This word comes from the term "pazder", which has several meanings at the same time, among which are the straw remaining from the ears after threshing, oches of flax and other residues that appear after the completion of harvesting. Also, October was sometimes called "bonfire". In turn, "bump" was the name given to the stems of plants used to make threads by spinning, for example, flax or hemp.
