каникулы

From the Latin Canicula, meaning "small dog", an alternative name of the star Sirius, which from the 24th of July to the 24th of August rises and sets at the same time as the sun, thus concerning this summer period. See dog days for more information.

• IPA^(key): [kɐˈnʲikʊɫɨ]

• Audio:

  (file)

кани́кулы • (kaníkuly) f inan pl (genitive кани́кул, plural only, relational adjective каникуля́рный or кани́кульный)

1. (school, university, parliament) vacation (U.S.), holiday (UK)

Related via Latin canis:

• кана́лья m anim or f anim (kanálʹja)

• → Yakut: каникул (kanikul)

• о́тпуск (ótpusk)
• Си́риус (Sírius)

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882), “каникула”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.