Russia's Vladimir Putin has been a newsworthy figure for some time.
I just now heard that putin is French for "whore". Can anyone verify?
June 13, 2008, 15:44
zmježd
Well, in French 'whore' is spelled putain /'put̃ɛ/. It's probably from pute 'girl' which is cognate with Italian putto whence English putti, those Baroque cherubim. Volodya's name is pronounced /ˈputʲɪn/. It's most likely a humorous coincidence. FWIW, Putin's grandfather was Lenin's (and Stalin's) cook, and his wife speaks fluent German.
BTW, I understand that the composer Modest Mussorgsky's name is related to a Russian word for "garbage." (mycop) Pronounced "mussar."This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Asa Lovejoy>,