matryoshka en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌmɑtɹiˈoʊʃkə/ (US)
- /ˌmætɹɪˈɒʃkə/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Russian матрёшка (matrjóška), from personal name Матрёна (Matrjóna), formerly Матрона (Matrona), ultimately from Latin mātrōna (“matron”).
Meanings
-
One of a set of wooden Russian dolls of different sizes, designed such that each fits inside the next.
The past is not only a foreign country that we half knew existed; it is hiding another concealed country behind it, and behind that one, another, and another – like a set of Russian matryoshki, in which larger dolls conceal smaller.
2011, Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms, Penguin, page 35:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| matreshka | alternative | lexicographic | |
| matryoshkas | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| matryoshki | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| matrëshka | alternative | lexicographic | |
| matrioshka | alternative | lexicographic |