# Smoluch



## intolerandus

Hello everyone,

In Stefan Grabinski's short story collection _Demon ruchu_, there is one titled _Smoluch_.

Would you be so kind as to tell me if it is a Polish word at all and what this word means? I failed to find it in a dictionary, and, interestingly enough, it is translated into Russian as _Чумазлай_, that is also not really a word although it contains the same root as in _чумазый_, meaning _dirty-faced_ or _coaly_.

Can it be a name of some folklore creature?

Thank you.


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## MateuszMoś

Hello, although I am not familiar with the book you mentioned, it appears that this word can be used to resort to a creature which is believed to bring bad luck and people who are superstitious are afraid of it. As far as the meaning itself is concerned, this indicates the person who is constantly unkempt and does not necessarily take care of their hygiene.

Furthermore, some children would associate this name with something that can be very ugly and unpleasant to them. Analogically, if a parent makes a recourse to "Smoluch" when a child is disobedient, the situation can be improved, for children, as I said, can visualize this word as a monster which takes them somewhere.

I am not able to provide you with the etymology of this word but the only hint I can give you is that this word can be taken from "smoła" - "tar" that indicates the substance which is forever "black". 

Peoples' connotations of "Smoluch" can be also connected with devil, to some extent, though.


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## intolerandus

Thank you very much for this comprehensive reply, MateuszMoś.

Incidentally, what do you think about the _-uch_ suffix? Is it normally used in names/second names/nicknames, maybe? I'm just curious if there is any connection to Russian _-ич_, which is used in second names (father names, like Icelandic _-son_, you know).


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## MateuszMoś

It appears that it works in a very similar manner to the one you described. I am afraid that I am not knowledgeable enough to satisfy your needs, however, I can tell you that the word ending with "uch" , in the context you expect, works as a pejorative, contemptuous and dismissive thing, very often humorous. For instance, a man who is very stubborn is: "uparciuch" - taken from an adjective: "uparty". To go on, "a person who gives off unpleasant odour is: "śmierdziuch" . This is the list of the words that end with "uch": http://www.zakonczone.pl/na/uch.


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## intolerandus

Thanks a lot! Very interesting.

I've understood that this suffix is really identical to Russian _-юч_: _śmierdziuch _is Russian _вонючка_, which is hilarious as well.

And my first impression about similarity to _-ич_ suffix was, of course, not right.


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## Ben Jamin

The etymology of the word Smoluch is clear: the stem "smol-" from "smoła" (tar, pitch) and the augmentative suffix "-uch". 
An augmentative is a counterpart of diminutive and it denotes something big, ugly, unpleasant.
Some examples of the use of the suffix: 
leni-uch (lazybones) from *leniwy *(lazy)
obżart-uch (gluton) form *obżerać się* (to gorge)
The suffix can also take the form of "-och", like "tłuści-och" (fatso) from *tłusty *(fat), or "-ok" in "żarł-ok" (gluton).


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## intolerandus

Thanks a lot! It's astonishining how similar our languages are: ленивый, обжираться, толстый...


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## Ben Jamin

intolerandus said:


> Thanks a lot! It's astonishining how similar our languages are: ленивый, обжираться, толстый...


It is true, but be aware of false friends, there are many, some quite dangerous (for example Polish "zarzygać" which means to "vomit over", but is similar to "зажигать".)


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## intolerandus

Good point.


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## jasio

I am not sure about folklore meaning, and i do not know the book either, but "smoluch" is often used to refer to a person who is very dirty, perhaps permanently. I'm not sure if it's still used in this particular context, but I remember hearing it when returning home from the outside, with dirty hands, neck, face, etc.
http://sjp.pwn.pl/sjp/smoluch;2522108


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## intolerandus

Thanks for commenting.


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## dreamlike

Just as an aside - in certain circles, the word "smoluch" is sometimes used in reference to a black person. Obviously, it's a highly derogatory term and it's best avoided.


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## intolerandus

Thanks for commenting.


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