меч

Inherited from Old Ruthenian мечъ (meč),^[1] from Proto-Slavic *mečь. Further etymology unclear.^[2]

• IPA^(key): [mʲet͡ʂ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -et͡ʂ
• Hyphenation: меч

меч • (mječ) m inan (genitive мяча́, nominative plural мячы́, genitive plural мячо́ў)

1. sword

• “меч”, in Skarnik's Belarusian dictionary (in Belarusian), based on Kandrat Krapiva's Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1977-1984)
• “меч” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
• "меч" in Belarusian-Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at Verbum

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mečь, of unclear origin. In view of the doublet form *mьčь (whence e.g. Serbo-Croatian ма̏ч), borrowing from a foreign language is the most prevalent theory.

• IPA^(key): [mɛt͡ʃ]

• Audio:

  (file)

меч • (meč) m (relational adjective ме́чов)

1. sword

   дамо́клев меч ― damóklev meč ― sword of Damocles

• мечо- (mečo-) (in compounds)
  • мечоно́сец (mečonósec, “swordbearer”)
  • мечови́ден (mečovíden, “alike a sword”)

• “меч”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “меч”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Nayden Gerov (1899) “мечь, ме́чеве”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language]‎^[1] (in Bulgarian), volume 3, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 63
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “мечь”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 775
• “мечь”, in Старобългарски речник [Dictionary of Old Bulgarian] (in Bulgarian), https://histdict.uni-sofia.bg, 2011—2025

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mečь. Further etymology unclear.

• IPA^(key): [mɛt͡ʃ]

• Audio:

  (file)

меч • (meč) m

1. sword
2. epee

меч • (meč) m

1. match, game

• мечъ (meč) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mečь. Further etymology unclear.

• IPA^(key): [mʲet͡ɕ]

• Audio:

  (file)

меч • (meč) m inan (genitive меча́, nominative plural мечи́, genitive plural мече́й, relational adjective ме́чный or мечево́й, diminutive ме́чик)

1. sword (usually with a straight blade)

   дамо́клов меч ― damóklov meč ― sword of Damocles

   • 2017 November 21, “Работница колонии под Новосибирском пыталась зарубить священника мечом”, in ТАСС [TASS]‎^[2]:

     Сле́дственные о́рганы возбуди́ли уголо́вное де́ло о покуше́нии на уби́йство по́сле того́, как рабо́тница исправи́тельной коло́нии №13 в Новосиби́рской о́бласти три́жды уда́рила священнослужи́теля мечо́м, кото́рый ей удало́сь пронести́ на террито́рию коло́нии.

     Slédstvennyje órgany vozbudíli ugolóvnoje délo o pokušénii na ubíjstvo pósle tovó, kak rabótnica ispravítelʹnoj kolónii №13 v Novosibírskoj óblasti tríždy udárila svjaščennoslužítelja mečóm, kotóryj jej udalósʹ pronestí na territóriju kolónii.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• The Russian term меч (meč) usually refers only to straight-bladed swords. A sabre with a curved blade is regarded as a type of sword in English, but it is not a type of меч (meč) in Russian.

• ме́чник m anim (méčnik)

Compound words:

• меч-ры́ба f anim (meč-rýba)
• мечено́с m anim (mečenós)
• мечено́сец m anim (mečenósec)
• мечехво́ст m anim (mečexvóst)
• ры́ба-меч f anim (rýba-meč)

• ката́на (katána)
• пала́ш (paláš)
• рапи́ра (rapíra)
• са́бля (sáblja)
• шпа́га f (špága)

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “меч”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999) “меч”, 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 528

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882) “меч”, 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.

• чем (čem)

Borrowed from English match.

ме̏ч m inan (Latin spelling mȅč)

1. match (sporting event)

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

From Proto-Slavic *mečь. Further etymology unclear.

• IPA^(key): [mɛt͡ʃ]

• Audio:

  (file)

меч • (meč) m inan (genitive меча́, nominative plural мечі́, genitive plural мечі́в)

1. sword

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “меч”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Shyrokov, V. A., editor (2010–2025), “меч”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1–15 (а – п'ять), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka; Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund, →ISBN
• “меч”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)