царь

Old Church Slavonic

Etymology

Shortened from Proto-Slavic *cěsařь, from a Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *kaisaraz, from Latin Caesar

Noun

цар҄ь • (carʹĭ) m

1. emperor
   • from Vita Constantini, 1800310-1800400:

     отъ селѣ нѣсмь азь ни цр҃ю слоуга ни иномоу никомоу же на земли, нъ тъкъмо б҃оу вьседрьжителю. не бѣхꙿ и бꙑхь и ѥсмь въ вѣкꙑ аминь.

     Henceforth I am neither a servant of the Emperor nor of anyone else on earth, but only of God Almighty. I was not, and I came to be, and am forever. Amen.

2. tsar

Declension

Declension of царь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	цар҄ь carʹĭ	цар҄а carʹa	цар҄и carʹi
genitive	цар҄а carʹa	цар҄оу carʹu	цар҄ь carʹĭ
dative	цар҄оу, цар҄еви carʹu, carʹevi	цар҄ема carʹema	цар҄емъ carʹemŭ
accusative	цар҄ь, цар҄а carʹĭ, carʹa	цар҄а carʹa	цар҄ѧ carʹę
instrumental	цар҄емь carʹemĭ	цар҄ема carʹema	цар҄и carʹi
locative	цар҄и carʹi	цар҄оу carʹu	цар҄ихъ carʹixŭ
vocative	цар҄оу carʹu	цар҄а carʹa	цар҄и carʹi

Russian

Царь Алексей Михайлович

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic цьсарь (cĭsarĭ), from цѣсарь (cěsarĭ), from Proto-Slavic *cěsařь, from a Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *kaisaraz, from Latin Caesar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [t͡sarʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

царь • (carʹ) m anim (genitive царя́, nominative plural цари́, genitive plural царе́й, feminine цари́ца, relational adjective ца́рский, diminutive царёк)

1. tsar, Russian emperor
2. king (figuratively, or referring to ancient or non-European monarchs)

   царь звере́й ― carʹ zveréj ― king of beasts

   царь и бог ― carʹ i box ― God Almighty

   царь небе́сный ― carʹ nebésnyj ― Heavenly Father

   царь царе́й ― carʹ caréj ― King of kings

   при царе́ Горо́хе ― pri caré Goróxe ― in the year dot; a very long time ago; since the beginning

   Он без царя́ в голове́! ― On bez carjá v golové! ― He’s stupid!

Usage notes

• From 1721 to 1917, Russia was officially an Empire, and its monarchs referred to as импера́тор (imperátor) (officially), госуда́рь (gosudárʹ), or самоде́ржец (samodéržec). For much of that time period, referring to the monarch (in his role as the ruler of Russia) as царь (carʹ) would have been seen as a colloquialism. The Russian monarch's official list of titles over non-Russian territories did include e.g. царь По́льский (carʹ Pólʹskij), which in English was rendered as “King of Poland”.

Declension

Declension of царь (anim masc-form soft-stem accent-b) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ца́рь cárʹ	цари́ carí
genitive	царя́ carjá	царе́й caréj
dative	царю́ carjú	царя́м carjám
accusative	царя́ carjá	царе́й caréj
instrumental	царём carjóm	царя́ми carjámi
prepositional	царе́ caré	царя́х carjáx
vocative	царю́ carjú

Pre-reform declension of царь (anim masc-form soft-stem accent-b) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ца́рь cárʹ	цари́ carí
genitive	царя́ carjá	царе́й caréj
dative	царю́ carjú	царя́мъ carjám
accusative	царя́ carjá	царе́й caréj
instrumental	царёмъ carjóm	царя́ми carjámi
prepositional	царѣ́ carě́	царя́хъ carjáx
vocative	царю́ carjú

Synonyms

• коро́ль (korólʹ)

Derived terms

• царе́вич m anim (carévič)
• царе́вна f anim (carévna)
• царёк m anim (carjók)
• царепокло́нство n (carepoklónstvo)
• цареуби́йство n (careubíjstvo)
• цареуби́йца m anim or f anim (careubíjca)
• цари́зм m (carízm)
• цари́ть impf (carítʹ)
  • воцари́ться pf (vocarítʹsja), воцаря́ться impf (vocarjátʹsja)
  • воцаре́ние n (vocarénije)
• цари́ца f anim (caríca)
• ца́рский (cárskij)
  • ца́рски (cárski), по-ца́рски (po-cárski)
• ца́рственный (cárstvennyj)
  • ца́рственно (cárstvenno)
• ца́рство n (cárstvo)
• ца́рствование n (cárstvovanije)
• ца́рствовать impf (cárstvovatʹ)

Phrases

• без царя́ в голове́ (bez carjá v golové)

Proverbs

• жа́лует царь, да не жа́лует псарь (žálujet carʹ, da ne žálujet psarʹ)

Related terms

• ка́йзер m anim (kájzer)
• ке́сарь m anim (késarʹ)
• це́зарь m anim (cézarʹ)
• це́сарь m anim (césarʹ)
  • цесаре́вич m anim (cesarévič), цесаре́вна f anim (cesarévna)

Descendants

• → Arabic: تْسَار (tsār)
• → Armenian: ցար (cʻar)
• → Catalan: tsar
• → Chinese: 沙皇 (shāhuáng) (phonetic 沙 (shā) semantic 皇 (huáng, “emperor”))
  • → Vietnamese: sa hoàng
• → Danish: zar
• → Dutch: tsaar
  • Afrikaans: tsaar
  • → West Frisian: tsaar
• → English: tsar, czar, tzar, csar
  • → Hindustani:
    • Hindi: ज़ार (zār), त्सार (tsār)
    • Urdu: زار (zār), تسار (tsār)
  • → Irish: sár
  • → Japanese: ツァー (tsā)
• → Esperanto: caro
• → Estonian: tsaar
• → Faroese: sarur
• → Finnish: tsaari
• → French: tsar, czar, tzar
  • → Persian: تزار (tezâr), تسار (tesâr) (rare)
• → Galician: tsar
• → German: Zar
• → Greek: τσάρος (tsáros)
• → Hungarian: cár
• → Ingrian: tsaari
• → Italian: zar
• → Japanese: ツァーリ (tsāri)
• → Khmer: ត្សារ (tsaa)
• → Korean: 차르 (chareu)
• → Latvian: cars
• → Lithuanian: caras
• → Norwegian: tsar
• → Polish: car
• → Portuguese: czar
• → Romanian: țar
• → Slovak: cár
• Samic:
  • → Skolt Sami: caarr
  • → Kildin Sami: цоа̄рр (cåårr)
  • → Ter Sami: ца̄рр (câ̄rr)
• → Spanish: zar
• → Swedish: tsar
• → Thai: ซาร์ (saa)
• → Turkish: çar
• → Yiddish: צאַר (tsar)
• → Uzbek: чор (chor)

References

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “царь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “царь”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 2 (панцирь – ящур), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 361