Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'maim'

English Word: maim

Key Russian Translations:

• калечить /kɐˈlʲet͡ɕɪtʲ/ - [Verb, Informal; used in contexts of physical injury or violence]
• искалечить /ɪs.kɐˈlʲet͡ɕɪtʲ/ - [Verb, Perfective; Formal; implies a completed action of causing permanent damage]

Frequency: Low (Not commonly used in everyday conversation; more prevalent in literary, medical, or legal contexts)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of Russian verb aspects and irregular conjugations; искалечить may be C1 for nuanced usage)

Pronunciation (Russian):

калечить: /kɐˈlʲet͡ɕɪtʲ/

искалечить: /ɪs.kɐˈlʲet͡ɕɪtʲ/

Note on калечить: The stress falls on the second syllable; be mindful of the soft 'л' sound, which can be challenging for English speakers. This verb has palatalization in certain forms.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To cause serious injury, especially to a limb, making it permanently damaged or disabled.

Translation(s) & Context:

• калечить - Used in ongoing or habitual contexts, such as describing repeated acts of violence in stories or reports.
• искалечить - Applied to a single, completed event, often in formal writing, medical descriptions, or legal documents.

Usage Examples:

• В битве солдаты часто калечат друг друга, оставляя неизгладимые шрамы.

  In battle, soldiers often maim each other, leaving permanent scars.

• Авария на заводе искалечила рабочих, и теперь они не могут работать.

  The factory accident maimed the workers, and now they can't work.

• Этот жестокий спорт калечит участников, но они продолжают соревноваться.

  This brutal sport maims participants, but they keep competing.

• Врач пытался спасти руку, но инфекция искалечила ее навсегда.

  The doctor tried to save the arm, but the infection maimed it forever.

• Дети не понимают, как легко калечить животных во время игр.

  Children don't realize how easily they can maim animals during play.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "калечить" and "искалечить" are verbs in Russian, belonging to the first conjugation group, but they exhibit aspectual pairs (imperfective for калечить and perfective for искалечить). Russian verbs change based on tense, person, number, and aspect. Below is a table for key inflections:

Note: These verbs are irregular in their stem changes and follow standard Russian conjugation rules with palatalization in certain forms. They do not change for gender in the infinitive but do in the past tense.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms: ранить (ranit' - to wound, with less emphasis on permanence), изувечить (izuvechit' - to mutilate severely; often interchangeable but more graphic)
• Antonyms: исцелять (istseliat' - to heal), восстанавливать (vosstanavlivat' - to restore; used in medical contexts)

Related Phrases:

• Калечить тело - To maim the body (Used in discussions of physical harm or torture)
• Искалечить судьбу - To maim one's fate (Figurative; implies ruining someone's life or future)
• Калечить в бою - To maim in battle (Common in military or historical narratives)

Usage Notes:

The English word "maim" corresponds most closely to "калечить" for imperfective actions and "искалечить" for perfective ones in Russian. Always consider the aspect: use "калечить" for ongoing processes (e.g., in descriptions) and "искалечить" for completed events. These verbs are formal and carry a strong connotation of permanence, so avoid them in casual speech. In everyday Russian, milder alternatives like "ранить" might be preferred. When translating, pay attention to context—legal or medical scenarios often require precise aspect usage to match English tenses.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing aspect and using "калечить" for a one-time event. For example, learners might say "Я калечу ногу" instead of "Я искалечил ногу" for a past completed action.

  Correct: "Я искалечил ногу в аварии" (I maimed my leg in the accident). Explanation: Russian requires perfective aspect for finished actions to convey completion accurately.

• Error: Overusing in informal contexts, e.g., saying "Это калечит мой день" when a lighter word like "портит" (spoils) is more appropriate.

  Correct: Use "Это портит мой день" instead. Explanation: "Калечить" implies severe physical harm, which can sound exaggerated in non-literal situations.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture and literature, words like "калечить" often appear in contexts of war, revolution, or hardship, reflecting Russia's historical experiences with conflict (e.g., in works by Tolstoy or Solzhenitsyn). They carry a deeper emotional weight, symbolizing not just physical injury but also the enduring scars of societal trauma, which can help English speakers understand the gravity of such terms in Russian discourse.

Related Concepts:

• ранить
• изувечить
• восстановление