яйцо

Belarusian

(1) яйцо (яйка)

(2) яйцо (яечка)

(3) яйцо (яйцаклетка)

Alternative forms

• jajco — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Ruthenian ꙗйце (jajce), from Old East Slavic ꙗице (jaice), from Proto-Slavic *ājьcè, diminutive of *ȃje (“egg”), ultimately from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ṓja (“egg”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jajˈt͡so]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

яйцо́ • (jajcó) n inan (genitive яйца́, nominative plural я́йцы, genitive plural яе́ц, relational adjective яе́чны, diminutive яе́чка)

1. egg (approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, insects, reptiles, and other animals, housing the embryo within a membrane or shell during its development)

   Synonym: я́йка (jájka)

   • 1918, Vacłaŭ Łastoŭski, “Brynduški-żartuški”, in Prypieŭki, Vilnius: Drukarnia „Źnič“, page 23:

     Kurka mnie jajco źniasie, / Tabie padaruju.

     A hen will lay an egg for me, and I'll gift it to you.

2. (colloquial, usually in the plural) testicle, ball (the male sex and endocrine gland, found in most types of animals, that produces sperm)

   Synonym: яе́чка (jajéčka)

   • 2003, Уладзімір Някляеў, “Гульні жаданняў”, in Лабух, Minsk; republished as “Піянерскі салют”, in Дванаццаць актаў (зборнік)‎^[1], Litres, 2022, →ISBN:

     Па беразе кульгаў прыгорблены Максім Герасімавіч Блонак [...] Яйцы ён гразіў адарваць і піянерам, і піянеркам — хто іх там у вадзе разбярэ.

     Pa bjerazje kulʹhaŭ pryhórbljeny Maksim Hjerasimavič Blónak [...] Jajcy jon hraziŭ adarvacʹ i pijanjeram, i pijanjerkam — xto ix tam u vadzje razbjare.

     Along the shore hobbled the hunched Maksim Hierasimavič Błonak [...] He was making threats to tear off the testicles of both the pioneer boys and girls alike—not that anyone could tell them apart in the water anyway.

3. ovum (the female gamete in animals; the egg cell)

   Synonyms: аацы́т (aacýt), яйцакле́тка (jajcakljétka)

Declension

Declension of яйцо́ (inan hard neut-form accent-d reduc)

	singular	plural
nominative	яйцо́ jajcó	я́йцы jájcy
genitive	яйца́ jajcá	яе́ц jajéc
dative	яйцу́ jajcú	я́йцам jájcam
accusative	яйцо́ jajcó	я́йцы jájcy
instrumental	яйцо́м jajcóm	я́йцамі jájcami
locative	яйцы́ jajcý	я́йцах jájcax
count form	—	яйцы́1 jajcý1

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

References

• Bulyka, A. M., editor (2017), “яйцо”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 37 (чорное – ящыкъ), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 308
• “яйцо” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
• "яйцо" in Kandrat Krapiva's Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1977-1984) at Verbum

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic ꙗице (jaice), from Proto-Slavic *ājьcè, diminutive of *ȃje (“egg”), ultimately from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ṓja (“egg”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [(j)ɪjˈt͡so]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

яйцо́ • (jajcó) n inan (genitive яйца́, nominative plural я́йца, genitive plural яи́ц or я́иц^*, relational adjective яи́чный, diminutive яи́чко) (* Colloquial.)

1. egg

   (proverb) я́йца ку́рицу не у́чат ― jájca kúricu ne účat ― don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs

2. ovum
3. (colloquial) testicle, ball, nut, nad, gonad

   Synonyms: мудо́ (mudó), мудё (mudjó), мудя́ (mudjá)

   она́ де́ржит его́ за я́йца ― oná déržit jevó za jájca ― she's got him by the balls

Declension

Declension of яйцо́ (inan neut-form ц-stem accent-d irreg) 

	singular	plural
nominative	яйцо́ jajcó	я́йца jájca
genitive	яйца́ jajcá	яи́ц△, я́иц△* jaíc△, jáic△*
dative	яйцу́ jajcú	я́йцам jájcam
accusative	яйцо́ jajcó	я́йца jájca
instrumental	яйцо́м jajcóm	я́йцами jájcami
prepositional	яйце́ jajcé	я́йцах jájcax

^△ Irregular.
^* Colloquial.

Pre-reform declension of яйцо́ (inan neut-form ц-stem accent-d irreg) 

	singular	plural
nominative	яйцо́ jajcó	я́йца jájca
genitive	яйца́ jajcá	яи́цъ△ jaíc△
dative	яйцу́ jajcú	я́йцамъ jájcam
accusative	яйцо́ jajcó	я́йца jájca
instrumental	яйцо́мъ jajcóm	я́йцами jájcami
prepositional	яйцѣ́ jajcě́	я́йцахъ jájcax

^△ Irregular.

Related terms

• яи́чница (jaíšnica, jaíčnica)
• яи́чко (jaíčko)
• подка́тывать я́йца (podkátyvatʹ jájca)

See also

• всмя́тку (vsmjátku)
• вкруту́ю (vkrutúju)
• глазу́нья (glazúnʹja)
• яи́чница-глазу́нья (jaíšnica-glazúnʹja, jaíčnica-glazúnʹja)
• болту́нья (boltúnʹja)
• яи́чница-болту́нья (jaíšnica-boltúnʹja, jaíčnica-boltúnʹja)
• яйцо́-пашо́т (jajcó-pašót)
• го́голь-мо́голь (gógolʹ-mógolʹ)

Further reading

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882) “яйцо”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.