азбука

Belarusian

(sense 1) азбука

(sense 2) азбука

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic азъбукꙑ (azŭbuky); borrowed from Old Church Slavonic азъбоукꙑ (azŭbuky), from the names of the first two letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, азъ +‎ боукꙑ, a calque of Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos). Compare Russian а́збука (ázbuka).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈazbuka]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

а́збука • (ázbuka) f inan (genitive а́збукі, nominative plural а́збукі, genitive plural а́збук)

2. alphabet (the set of letters used when writing in a language)

   Synonym: алфаві́т (alfavít)

   • 1940 [1861], Charles Dickens, anonymous translator, Вялікія чаканні, Minsk: ДВБ, translation of Great Expectations, page 57:

     Атрымаўшы гэтую ўзнагароду з відавочнай насмешкай, вучні выстрайваліся ў лінію і з шумам перадавалі з рук у рукі абшарпаную кніжку. У кніжцы былі: азбука, табліца множання і склады, гэта значыць некалі былі.

     Atrymaŭšy hetuju ŭznaharódu z vidavóčnaj nasmješkaj, vučni vystrajvalisja ŭ liniju i z šumam pjeradavali z ruk u ruki abšarpanuju knižku. U knižcy byli: azbuka, tablica mnóžannja i sklady, heta značycʹ njekali byli.

     [original: After receiving the charge with every mark of derision, the pupils formed in line and buzzingly passed a ragged book from hand to hand. The book had an alphabet in it, some figures and tables, and a little spelling,—that is to say, it had had once.]

     After receiving this reward with every mark of derision, the pupils formed in line and buzzingly passed a ragged book from hand to hand. The book had an alphabet in it, a multiplication table, and a little spelling,—that is to say, it had had once.

4. ABC book, primer (a children's book intended to teach literacy)

   Synonyms: буква́р (bukvár), леманта́р (ljemantár)

   • 1940 [1861], Charles Dickens, anonymous translator, Вялікія чаканні, Minsk: ДВБ, translation of Great Expectations, page 36:

     З дапамогаю азбукі, якая ляжала для справак на падлозе ля маіх ног, мне ўдалося гадзіны за дзве надрапаць друкаванымі літарамі наступнае пасланне: «мІл моІ Жо СПодзяЮс ты зДароф [...]».

     Z dapamóhaju azbuki, jakaja ljažala dlja spravak na padlózje lja maix noh, mnje ŭdalósja hadziny za dzvje nadrapacʹ drukavanymi litarami nastupnaje paslannje: “mIl móI Žo SPódzjaJus ty zDaróf [...]”.

     [original: With an alphabet on the hearth at my feet for reference, I contrived in an hour or two to print and smear this epistle:—“MI DEER JO i OPE U R KRWITE WELL [...].”]

     With an ABC book on the hearth at my feet for reference, I contrived in an hour or two to scribble the following epistle in block letters:—“MI DEER JO i OPE U R KRWITE WELL [...].”

5. ABC, basics (the fundamentals of any subject)

   Synonym: асно́ва (asnóva)

Declension

Declension of а́збука (inan velar fem-form accent-a)

	singular	plural
nominative	а́збука ázbuka	а́збукі ázbuki
genitive	а́збукі ázbuki	а́збук ázbuk
dative	а́збуцы ázbucy	а́збукам ázbukam
accusative	а́збуку ázbuku	а́збукі ázbuki
instrumental	а́збукай, а́збукаю ázbukaj, ázbukaju	а́збукамі ázbukami
locative	а́збуцы ázbucy	а́збуках ázbukax
count form	—	а́збукі1 ázbuki1

¹Used with the numbers 2, 3, 4 and higher numbers after 20 ending in 2, 3, and 4.

References

• Zhurawski, A. I., editor (1982), “азбука”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 1 (а – биенье), Minsk: Navuka i tekhnika, page 83
• “азбука” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
• "азбука" in Kandrat Krapiva's Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1977-1984) at Verbum

Bulgarian

Българска азбука

Etymology

Inherited from Old Church Slavonic азъбоукꙑ (azŭbuky), from the names of the first two letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, азъ (azŭ) +‎ боукꙑ (buky), a calque of Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈazbokɐ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

а́збука • (ázbuka) f (relational adjective а́збучен)

1. alphabet

   Synonyms: (archaic) алфави́та (alfavíta), (archaic) алфави́т (alfavít)

   Бъ́лгарската а́збука ― Bǎ́lgarskata ázbuka ― The Bulgarian alphabet

Declension

Declension of а́збука

	singular	plural
indefinite	а́збука ázbuka	а́збуки ázbuki
definite	а́збуката ázbukata	а́збуките ázbukite

Related terms

• а́збучник (ázbučnik)

References

• “азбука”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “азбука”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “а̀збука”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 5
• “азбука”, in Български тълковен речник [Bulgarian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), fourth edition, Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 2005, page 20

Macedonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈazbuka]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

азбука • (azbuka) f (relational adjective азбучен)

1. alphabet

Declension

Declension of азбука

	singular	plural
indefinite	азбука (azbuka)	азбуки (azbuki)
definite unspecified	азбуката (azbukata)	азбуките (azbukite)
definite proximal	азбукава (azbukava)	азбукиве (azbukive)
definite distal	азбукана (azbukana)	азбукине (azbukine)
vocative	азбуко (azbuko)	азбуки (azbuki)

References

• азбука in Makedonisch Info (germansko-makedonski rečnik, makedonsko-germanski rečnik)

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic азъбукꙑ (azŭbuky); borrowed from Old Church Slavonic азъбоукꙑ (azŭbuky), from the names of the first two letters of the Cyrillic alphabet, азъ (azŭ) +‎ боукꙑ (buky), a calque of Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈazbʊkə]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

а́збука • (ázbuka) f inan (genitive а́збуки, nominative plural а́збуки, genitive plural а́збук, relational adjective а́збучный, diminutive а́збучка)

1. alphabet

   Synonym: алфави́т (alfavít)

   а́збука Мо́рзе ― ázbuka Mórzɛ ― Morse code

   а́збука Бра́йля ― ázbuka Brájlja ― Braille

   слогова́я а́збука ― slogovája ázbuka ― syllabary

2. ABC book, abecedary; primer

   Synonym: буква́рь (bukvárʹ)

3. ABC (the rudiments of any subject)

   Synonyms: осно́вы (osnóvy), азы́ (azý)

Declension

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

	singular	plural
nominative	а́збука ázbuka	а́збуки ázbuki
genitive	а́збуки ázbuki	а́збук ázbuk
dative	а́збуке ázbuke	а́збукам ázbukam
accusative	а́збуку ázbuku	а́збуки ázbuki
instrumental	а́збукой, а́збукою ázbukoj, ázbukoju	а́збуками ázbukami
prepositional	а́збуке ázbuke	а́збуках ázbukax

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

	singular	plural
nominative	а́збука ázbuka	а́збуки ázbuki
genitive	а́збуки ázbuki	а́збукъ ázbuk
dative	а́збукѣ ázbukě	а́збукамъ ázbukam
accusative	а́збуку ázbuku	а́збуки ázbuki
instrumental	а́збукой, а́збукою ázbukoj, ázbukoju	а́збуками ázbukami
prepositional	а́збукѣ ázbukě	а́збукахъ ázbukax

Derived terms

• азбуко́вник m (azbukóvnik)

Phrases

• а́збучная и́стина f (ázbučnaja ístina)

Related terms

• аз m (az), азы́ m pl (azý)
• бу́ки n (búki), бу́ква f (búkva), буква́рь m (bukvárʹ)

Descendants

• → Ingrian: azbukka

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From initial names of the first letters of Cyrillic alphabet, az (а) and buki (б).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ǎzbuka/
• Hyphenation: аз‧бу‧ка

Noun

а̀збука f (Latin spelling àzbuka)

1. (uncountable) alphabet (based on the Cyrillic script)

Declension

Declension of азбука

	singular
nominative	азбука
genitive	азбуке
dative	азбуци
accusative	азбуку
vocative	азбуко
locative	азбуци
instrumental	азбуком

Further reading

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

Ukrainian

Etymology

Created in Old East Slavic following азъбукы (azŭbuky), borrowed from Old Church Slavonic азъбоукꙑ (azŭbuky), formed from the names of the first two letters in the Cyrillic alphabet, азъ (azŭ) + боукꙑ (buky), a calque of Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos).

Attested 1627, compare язъбука (jazʺbuka) (17–18th century).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈazbʊkɐ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

а́збука • (ázbuka) f inan (genitive а́збуки, nominative plural а́збуки, genitive plural а́збук, relational adjective а́збучний)

1. (dated) alphabet (an ordered set of letters used in a language), especially the old Cyrillic alphabet.

   Synonyms: алфаві́т (alfavít), альфабе́т (alʹfabét), абе́тка (abétka), (dialectal) абе́тло (abétlo)

Declension

Declension of а́збука (inan hard fem-form accent-a)

	singular	plural
nominative	а́збука ázbuka	а́збуки ázbuky
genitive	а́збуки ázbuky	а́збук ázbuk
dative	а́збуці ázbuci	а́збукам ázbukam
accusative	а́збуку ázbuku	а́збуки ázbuky
instrumental	а́збукою ázbukoju	а́збуками ázbukamy
locative	а́збуці ázbuci	а́збуках ázbukax
vocative	а́збуко ázbuko	а́збуки ázbuky

Derived terms

• а́збучний (ázbučnyj)
• а́збучна війна́ (ázbučna vijná) (historical, proper noun)

Related terms

• аз (az)
• буква (bukva)

References

• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “азбука”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “азбука”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• “азбука”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)