4th-5th Grade Spelling List (6- Slavic)

Godunov- [god-n-awf, good-]-noun- regent of Russia 1584–98 and czar 1598–1605. Bo·ris Fe·do·ro·vich [bawr-is fi-dawr-uh-vich]     Boris Godunov  is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky.

gulag- [goo-lahg]-noun- the system of forced-labor camps in the Soviet Union.   The gulags were a Russian prison camp for political prisoners. 

parka- [pahr-kuh]-noun- a hip-length jacket or overshirt with an attached hood, often of wool or of a windproof, water-repellent material lined or trimmed with wool, used by skiers, hunters, the military, etc. Snow crystals sting my face and coat my beard and the ruff of my parka.

Slav- [slahv, slav]-noun- one of a group of peoples in eastern, southeastern, and central Europe, including the Russians and Ruthenians (Eastern Slavs)  the Bulgars, Serbs, Croats, Slavonians, Slovenes, etc. (Southern Slavs)  and the Poles, Czechs, Moravians, Slovaks, etc. (Western Slavs)         Some East Slavs also settled later in Siberia. 

robot- [roh-buh t, -bot]-noun- a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command.   One robot cooks while other robot set the table and wash the dishes. 

samovar- [sam-uh-vahr, sam-uh-vahr]-noun- a metal urn, used especially by Russians for heating water for making tea.  Boiling water is poured upon the tea, and when the pot is full it is placed on the top of the samovar.

kremlin- [krem-lin]-noun- the executive branch of the government of Russia or of the Soviet Union, especially in regard to its foreign affairs.   The Kremlin is located on the Volga River in the heart of Moscow. 

troika- [troi-kuh]-noun- any group of three persons, nations, etc., acting equally in unison to exert influence, control, or the like.  We are also coordinating with our two troika partners, who are each stepping up on critical negotiations that are underway.

slave- [sleyv]-noun- a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant.

He freed her from eternal limbo and she thus became his slave.

mammoth-[mam-uh th]-noun- any large, elephantlike mammal of the extinct genus Mammuthus,  from the Pleistocene Epoch, having hairy skin and ridged molar teeth.   For instance, the hairy mammoth seems to have been an admirable animal, intelligent and well-accoutered.

Siberia- [sahy-beer-ee-uh]-noun- an extensive region in the Russian Federation in N Asia, extending from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific.  They did not want to move to that cold place called Siberia.

tundra- [tuhn-druh, toon-]-noun- one of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America.   The landscape varies from high, icy mountains to a frozen tundra.   

Permian- [pur-mee-uhn]-adj.- Geology-noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era occurring from about 280 to 230 million years ago and characterized by a profusion of amphibian species.          The Permian Period is the last period of the Paleozoic Era

kishke- [kish-kuh]-noun- Jewish Cookery- a beef or fowl intestine stuffed with a mixture, as of flour, fat, onion, and seasonings, and roasted.    Kishke is a Jewish sausage made of vegetables, spices, and matzo meal soaked in chicken fat.

glasnost- [glaz-nost, glahz‐]-noun- the declared public policy within the Soviet Union of openly and frankly discussing economic and political realities: initiated under Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. Americans were born with glasnost and perestroika as their birthrights.

paprika- [pa-pree-kuh, puh-, pah-, pap-ri-kuh]-noun- a red, powdery condiment derived from dried, ripe sweet peppers.     Pour melted butter and lemon juice over fish and sprinkle with paprika. 

sable- [sey-buh l]-noun- an Old World weasellike mammal, Mustela zibellina,  of cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur.   She put on her sable fur coat.

kasha- [kah-shuh]-noun- a soft food prepared from hulled and crushed grain, especially buckwheat.

Kasha is cooked down in to a porridge type dish and sometimes served with meat.

nebbish- [neb-ish]-noun-Slang- a pitifully ineffectual, luckless, and timid person.  Suddenly, the nebbish  scoundrel was no longer hilariously charming.

polka- [pohl-kuh, poh-kuh]-noun- a lively couple dance of Bohemian origin, with music in duple meter.  Polka  band music is performed throughout the festival, and there is a public dance each evening.

Bolshevik- [bohl-shuh-vik, bol-]-noun- a member of the more radical majority of the Social Democratic party, 1903–17, advocating immediate and forceful seizure of power by the proletariat.       The Bolsheviks came to power in 1917 and started the Communist Party. 

vampire- [vam-pahyuh r]- a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.   That television series is another chapter in the chronicle of the parasitic vampire industry.

sputnik-[spoo t-nik, spuht-]-noun- any of a series of Soviet earth-orbiting satellites.    Sputnik I was the world's first space satellite.

knish- [knish]-noun-Jewish Cookery- a fried or baked turnover or roll of dough with a filling, as of meat, kasha, or potato, often eaten as an appetizer or snack.   A knish eaten as a bite sized snack, appetizer or a meal. 

cravat- [kruh-vat]-noun- a cloth, often made of or trimmed with lace, worn about the neck by men especially in the 17th century.    Back on his head went the wig, the cravat was tastefully re-tied.   babushka- [buh-boo sh-kuh, -boosh-]-noun- a woman's scarf, often triangular, used as a hood with two of the ends tied under the chin.   She wore a mid-calf navy skirt, a white shirt, a green-and-yellow babushka.

Soviet- [soh-vee-et, -it, soh-vee-et]-noun- any similar council or assembly connected with a socialistic governmental system elsewhere.   Soviet planners relocated entire peoples, to reward or punish. 

Borzoi- [bawr-zoi]-noun- any of a breed of tall, slender dogs having long, silky hair, raised originally in Russia for hunting wolves.    The borzoi is a quiet and intelligent but athletic and independent dog.

gopak- [goh-pak]- a folk dance of the Ukraine.   The gopak is a spectacular high-leaping Russian peasant dance for men.

Cheka- [che-kah]-noun- (in the Soviet Union) the state secret-police organization (1917–22), succeeded by the GPU.   The Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. 

sevruga- [suh-vroo-guh]-noun- a gray caviar from the roe of this fish.    The sevruga caviar was stuffed into four tiny fingerling potatoes.

trepak-[tray-puh k]  -noun- a fiery Ukrainian folk dance performed by men and featuring the leg-flinging prisiadka.    Trepak is used in the Disney film Fantasia, in the sequence where flowers take the place of the Cossack dancers.

babka- [bahb-kuh]-noun- a sweet, spongy yeast cake with raisins, traditionally made in the form of a high cylinder, either solid or with a hole, often glazed, and sometimes flavored with rum.

The first time papa brought a babka, it was gone in a flash.

purga-[puh r-guh]-noun- an intense arctic snowstorm occurring usually in flat open country and characterized by severe cold and wind-driven snow.  Siberia is very prone to purgas.

baba-[ bah-buh]-noun- a spongelike cake leavened with yeast and often containing raisins, baked in a small mold and then usually soaked with a rum syrup.   For dessert, popular choices are the baba in rum with whipped cream and peach ice cream.

cossack- [kos-ak, -uh k]-noun- (especially in czarist Russia) a person belonging to any of certain groups of Slavs living chiefly in the southern part of Russia in Europe and forming an elite corps of horsemen.    The Cossack are a nomadic horse culture that live on the Russian Steppes.

nelma-[nel-muh] -noun- a commercial species of freshwater whitefish in the family Salmonidae.    The nelma fish has a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw and a high and pointed dorsal fin.

kovsh-[kovsh]-noun- a ladle or drinking vessel with a boat-shaped bowl and a handle at one end.   

He ladled the soup faster with a kovsh.

lokshen-[lohk-shuh n]-noun- noodles.   Lokshen kugel is a Jewish noodle pudding.

feldsher-[feld-shuh r] -noun- a medical or surgical practitioner without full professional qualifications or status in some east European countries and especially Russia.    The feldsher tried his best to help the field surgeons, as their assistant.

barabara- [bahr-uh-bahr-uh]-noun- an Alaskan or north Siberian semisubterranean house built of sod or turf.  They have much better living places than barabara in modern days in Alaska.

aul-[alz]-noun- a type of fortified village found throughout the Caucasus mountains, especially in Dagestan.  The auls of Svaneti in the Republic of Georgia, with their distinctive medieval towers, have been recognized as a World Heritage Site.

 Challenge Words 

balalaika- [bal-uh-lahy-kuh]-noun- a Russian musical instrument having a triangular body and a neck like that of a guitar.   They serve borscht and stroganoff to balalaika background music at their restaurant.

kielbasa- [kil-bah-suh, keel-]-noun- a smoked sausage of coarsely chopped beef and pork, flavored with garlic and spices.   Kielbasa is also served with a pierogi, baked with sauerkraut and cooked in soups.

tchotchke- [chahch-kuh]-noun-Slang- an inexpensive souvenir, trinket, or ornament.

The place is two floors of warehouse-style shopping, with every tchotchke you could imagine.  barukhzy-[buh-ruhk-see]-noun-afghan hound.  The barukhzy is more closely to the Deerhound than

to the Greyhound.

perestroika- [per-uh-stroi-kuh]-noun- Russian. the program of economic and political reform in the Soviet Union initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986.   But glasnost and perestroika are two different cups of tea.

apparatchik- [ah-puh-rah-chik]-noun- a member of an apparat, especially in a Communist country.

An apparatchik is a full time employee in any position of bureaucratic or political responsibility. 

commissar- [kom-uh-sahr, kom-uh-sahr]-noun- the head of any of the major governmental divisions of the U.S.S.R.   So large, that it did not escape notice and one of the farmers was hauled before the local commissar.

tokamak- [toh-kuh-mak, tok-uh-]-noun- a type of experimental nuclear fusion reactor in which a plasma of atoms circulates in a toroidal tube and is confined to a narrow beam by an electromagnetic field.  Because helium particles can radiate away the energy of fusion, the plasma  could cool down,

degrading tokamak performance.

pogrom- [puh-gruhm, -grom, poh-]-noun- an organized massacre, especially of Jews.

My theory is that acknowledging the pogrom on the traumatized would show a lot of people in a bad light.

taiga- [tahy-guh, tahy-gah]-noun- the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.  The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region. Beetewk-[bee-tyoo k]  -noun- a Russian breed of heavy draft horses.   The Beetewk breed is known for its great strength: they can pull over three tons!