молния

Russian

Alternative forms

• мо́лнія (mólnija) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic мълниꙗ (mŭlnija), мълнии (mŭlnii), from Proto-Slavic *mъlnьji or *mьlnьji, from earlier *mъldnьji or *mъldni, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mild-n-, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dʰ-n- (“lightning”).

Slavic cognates include Serbo-Croatian муња (munja), Bulgarian мълния (mǎlnija), Polabian måuńa and Kashubian môłniô. Probable cognates outside Slavic include Latvian milna (“hammer of Pērkons”), Old Prussian mealde, Welsh mellt (“lightning”), Old Norse Mjǫllnir (“hammer of Thor”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmoɫnʲɪjə]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

мо́лния • (mólnija) f inan (genitive мо́лнии, nominative plural мо́лнии, genitive plural мо́лний)

1. lightning
   • 1860, Иван Тургенев [Ivan Turgenev], “Глава 7”, in Первая любовь; English translation from Constance Garnett, transl., First Love, 1897:

     Я гляде́л — и не мог оторва́ться; э́ти немы́е мо́лнии, э́ти сде́ржанные блиста́ния, каза́лось, отвеча́ли тем немы́м и та́йным поры́вам, кото́рые вспы́хивали та́кже во мне.

     Ja gljadél — i ne mog otorvátʹsja; éti nemýje mólnii, éti sdéržannyje blistánija, kazálosʹ, otvečáli tem nemým i tájnym porývam, kotóryje vspýxivali tákže vo mne.

     I gazed, and could not turn away; these silent lightning flashes, these gleams seemed in response to the secret silent fires which were aglow within me.

2. zipper, zip, zip fastener
3. express telegram
4. (slang) cigarette lighter
5. Molniya 1 (the first Soviet communications satellite)
6. Molnija (Soviet and Russian watch brand)

Declension

Declension of мо́лния (inan fem-form i-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	мо́лния mólnija	мо́лнии mólnii
genitive	мо́лнии mólnii	мо́лний mólnij
dative	мо́лнии mólnii	мо́лниям mólnijam
accusative	мо́лнию mólniju	мо́лнии mólnii
instrumental	мо́лнией, мо́лниею mólnijej, mólnijeju	мо́лниями mólnijami
prepositional	мо́лнии mólnii	мо́лниях mólnijax

Related terms

• молниено́сный (molnijenósnyj)

Descendants

• English: Molniya orbit

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “молния”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “молния”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 539