Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'emaciated'

English Word: emaciated

Key Russian Translations:

• истощенный [/ɪsˈtoʃʧɪnnɨj/] - [Formal, often used in medical or literary contexts]
• измученный [/ɪzˈmuʧɪnnɨj/] - [Informal, implies exhaustion or torment, less specific to physical thinness]

Frequency: Medium (Common in literary, medical, and descriptive texts, but not everyday conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; involves understanding adjective inflections and contextual nuances; for 'измученный', difficulty may be slightly lower at B1 due to simpler usage)

Pronunciation (Russian):

истощенный: /ɪsˈtoʃʧɪnnɨj/

Note on истощенный: The stress is on the second syllable; the 'щ' sound is a soft, palatalized 'sh' which can be challenging for English speakers—similar to the 'sh' in 'she' but with a slight whistle.

измученный: /ɪzˈmuʧɪnnɨj/

Note on измученный: Stress on the second syllable; the 'ч' is a voiceless palatal fricative, akin to 'ch' in 'church'.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning: Extremely thin and weak, typically due to illness, starvation, or hardship.

Translation(s) & Context:

• истощенный - Used in formal or descriptive contexts, such as medical reports or literature, to emphasize physical depletion from hunger or disease.
• измученный - Applied in informal or emotional contexts, often conveying mental or physical exhaustion, but can overlap with emaciated in cases of severe hardship.

Usage Examples:

• Он был истощен после недель голодания в горах.

  He was emaciated after weeks of starvation in the mountains.

• Война оставила многих людей измученными и истощенными.

  The war left many people emaciated and tormented.

• Ее истощенное тело свидетельствовало о длительной болезни.

  Her emaciated body was evidence of a prolonged illness.

• Измученный путешественник едва мог идти из-за истощения сил.

  The emaciated traveler could barely walk due to exhaustion.

• В фильме показано, как истощенные узники выживают в лагере.

  The film shows how emaciated prisoners survive in the camp.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'истощенный' and 'измученный' are adjectives, which inflect based on gender, number, and case in Russian. Adjectives agree with the nouns they modify and follow standard patterns for hard-stem adjectives. 'Истощенный' is regular, while 'измученный' is also regular but may vary slightly in poetic or archaic use.

Note: These adjectives do not change in comparative forms unless modified (e.g., более истощенный for 'more emaciated').

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • изможденный (implies extreme exhaustion, often physical and mental)
  • худой (more general for 'thin', but less intense; used in everyday contexts)
• Antonyms:
  • полный (full, plump)
  • здоровый (healthy, robust)

Related Phrases:

• истощенный организм - A depleted or emaciated body, often in medical contexts.
• измученный вид - An exhausted or emaciated appearance, used to describe someone's looks after hardship.
• истощенные ресурсы - Emaciated resources, metaphorically for depleted supplies or energy.

Usage Notes:

'Истощенный' is the most precise translation for 'emaciated' in formal settings, directly conveying physical wasting due to starvation or illness, while 'измученный' is better for contexts involving emotional or overall torment. In Russian, these adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify, which differs from English. Choose 'истощенный' for literal descriptions (e.g., in health reports) and 'измученный' for narrative or informal speech. Be cautious with regional variations; in some dialects, synonyms like 'худой' might be overused incorrectly.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'худой' (thin) instead of 'истощенный' to mean 'emaciated', which downplays the severity. Correct: 'Он был худой' vs. 'Он был истощенный'. Explanation: 'Худой' simply means slim and doesn't imply illness, leading to a loss of nuance.

• Error: Failing to inflect the adjective properly, e.g., saying 'истощенный женщина' instead of 'истощенная женщина'. Correct: Always match gender and case, as in 'истощенная женщина'. Explanation: Russian requires adjective-noun agreement, which English speakers often overlook.

Cultural Notes:

Words like 'истощенный' often appear in Russian literature and historical contexts, such as descriptions of famine during the Soviet era or in works by authors like Tolstoy, symbolizing the hardships of war and poverty. This reflects Russia's cultural emphasis on resilience amid adversity, where physical emaciation can metaphorically represent deeper societal struggles.

Related Concepts:

• голод (hunger)
• болезнь (illness)
• изнеможение (exhaustion)