Мокша

See also: мокша

Russian

Etymology

The name of the river is speculated to derive from a language of Baltic extraction. First attested use in early 12th century, William of Rubruck mentions Moksha as (Russian translation) Моксель (Mokselʹ).

Neologism etymology is possibly due to the name's similarity to Москва́ (Moskvá).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈmokʂə]

Proper noun

Мо́кша • (Mókšaf inan (genitive Мо́кши)

  1. a river in Mordovia and Penza, Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan Oblasts, Russia
    Synonym: Йов (Jov)
  2. several settlements in Mordovia, Tatarstan and Samara Oblast, Russia
  3. (derogatory, offensive, neologism, Ukraine) Russia.

Usage notes

Sense 3 is offensive to ethnic Mokshas as it conflates them with the actions of the Russian government.[1]

Declension

References

  • Pospelov, Yevgeny (1998), “Мокша”, in Ageeva, Ruf, editor, Географические названия мира. Топологический словарь [Geographic Names of the World. Toponymic Dictionary] (in Russian), Moscow: ACT, Астрель, →ISBN