A tear is such an “object” that everyone has encountered in life. We all know the tears of infants, the tears of a mother worrying about her child, and even the "mean male tear." But is this word so unambiguous? It turns out that there are not only those that drip from the eyes. Details that this is a tear will be presented in this article.
Let's turn to the dictionary
According to the definitions given in the dictionary, the meaning of the word “tear” can be designated as:
- In the plural, this word is interpreted as a colorless liquid with a brackish taste, which is distinguished by the eyes of representatives of the class of mammals, as well as birds, amphibians and reptiles. And in the only thing - this is one of the drops of the described liquid. Svetlana slowly nodded her head, and tears inaudibly flowed down her face. One of the tears lingered on her flushed face and sparkled in the ray of the sun, breaking through the window. The picture was very touching.
- In a poetic sense, this is a drop of any other moisture, and not just that which exudes the eyes of various individuals. The view of the morning garden was mesmerizing with its delicate beauty: the graceful outlines of the girl’s beloved orchids of a wonderful pinkish tint peered through the tears of dew.
- In a figurative sense, tears can indicate grief, grief. This woman was distinguished by her extraordinary resilience, even in difficult moments it was impossible to wait for any complaints or tears, she only turned paler than usual and her gaze seemed to freeze.
Origin
Having examined what “tear” means in the dictionary, for a better understanding of this issue, we turn to its etymology. This word comes from the Proto-Slavic sleza, sledza, while scientists are inclined, rather, to the first version, from which, in particular, were formed:
- Old Russian and Old Slavonic - tear;
- Ukrainian - tear;
- Bulgarian - cousle;
- Serbo-Croatian - Susa;
- Slovenian - sólza;
- Czech and Slovak - slza;
- Polish - łza;
- Upper Luga - sylza;
- Lower Luzhsk - łdza.
“Tear” is a word related to the words “slime”, “slimy,” (descended from Old Slavonic, formed from the Proto-Slavic and denotes a slippery, viscous mass), as well as words from languages such as:
- Middle Low German - slîk (mucus);
- High German - schlickern (spill);
- Middle High German - slîch (silt);
- Old Icelandic - slíkr (smooth);
- Greek - λίγδην (touching the surface);
- Old Irish - sligim (marayu).
From the above examples it can be seen that the meaning of the word “tear” is associated with the slow movement of this object, as well as with its smooth surface. That is, action and quality were first described, and then the designation of the substance itself appeared.
Synonyms
“Tears” have many words that are close in meaning. For instance:
- Secret.
- Selection.
- The roar.
- Howl.
- Sobbing.
- Dampness.
- A tear.
- Teardrop.
- Whimpering.
- Cry.
- Sputum.
- Liquid.
Phraseologisms, proverbs and sayings
The word we are studying is very popular in terms of its use in stable phrases and in folklore. Here are some of the most famous examples of this use.
- Bury in tears.
- Bring to tears.
- All expired in tears.
- Shed burning tears.
- Crocodile tears.
- To shed tears.
- Tears of happiness.
- Tears of the mother.
- Avaricious male tear.
- Tear of a child.
- Laughter through tears.
- Clean as a tear.
- Transparency tears.
Here are a few sentences that include proverbs and sayings with the word "tears":
- “Keep in mind, daughter, that the road of life is not strewn with flowers, and“ Moscow does not believe in tears, ”so hold on to the last,” Anna Sergeyevna strictly admonished, leaving Marina.
- Natasha consoled her sister as much as she could: “What happened, happened - we survive, don’t cry, please don’t upset me either, especially since“ you won’t help with tears. ”
- “Well, I got the change, that's what you need, and I warned you that“ the mouse will shed tears for the cat, ”Katerina gloated.
Having examined the semantic aspect of the object under study, we turn to the biological and find out where the tears come from.
What is crying?
It is known that tears appear, as a rule, during crying. Therefore, it will be advisable to understand the nature of this phenomenon. What is human crying?
Crying refers to one of the psychophysiological responses of the body to certain internal or external influences. This reaction is accompanied by a sharply increased discharge from the eyes of a special fluid called secretion, or more simply, tears.
Crying is also accompanied by: a sharp change in blood pressure, breathing, involuntary contraction of the muscles located near the eyes and above the eyebrows, as well as muscle tension related to the cervicobrachial region.
Tears are a reaction to a mental experience, which is quite strong and instantaneous. And also they can stand out as a result of prolonged tension of the nervous system. In this case, the effects can be both negative and positive.
In children under a certain age, the appearance of crying is also a reflex reaction to pain. However, as the child grows up, this reflex gradually weakens, and eventually disappears completely.
Crying and tears
According to one hypothesis, the meaning of removing tears from the eyes is to protect the vessels of the eye from excessive pressure. However, opponents of this hypothesis argue that this is not so. After all, blood and eye pressure are not directly related to each other. And tears are a product of the lacrimal glands, not capable of quickly eliminating a significant amount of fluid from the body.
According to the assumption of C. Darwin, crying occurs reflexively due to the convulsive pressure exerted by the circular muscles of the eyelids on the ocular surface. And this, in turn, leads to the expansion of blood vessels inside the eyes. When a person cries, the lacrimal glands are delivered from the excess fluid that has accumulated in the eye. Thus, the eye vessels are not inflated and there is no swelling of the eyeball.
Having familiarized ourselves with the information where the tears came from, let us turn to the consideration of the word under study in one of its figurative meanings.
Black stone
This is the name of the stone mounted in the wall of the Kaaba - a Muslim shrine, which has the appearance of a cubic structure, located in the courtyard of the Reserve Mosque. For its ovoid shape, resembling a drop, it is called "The Tear of Allah."
The stone is located in the eastern corner of the shrine, at a height of one and a half meters, being encased in silver. According to Islamic legend, once the Black Stone was in paradise. Its visible surface is approximately equal to an area of 16.5 * 20 cm. The stone consists of several fragments with a reddish-black color, mounted in a dark base. In total, about 7-8 pieces of this stone are visible.
There are many versions regarding the origin of “Tears of Allah”. In the Muslim tradition, it is believed that the stone was brought from paradise during the Flood and was guarded by the Angels. Then the prophet Muhammad delivered him the angel Jabrail at the time when the Kaaba was being built. At first he was a white yacht, but eventually turned black, as he was saturated with human sins.