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Moskal,, be, маскаль, link=no, pl, moskal, link=no, Romanian: ''muscal'', hu, muszka, link=no, lt, maskolis, link=no) also known as Muscal, is a historical designation used for the residents of the Grand Duchy of Moscow from the 12th to the 15th centuries.
It is now sometimes used in
p. 55
"In the 'low', folksy world of the provincial narrators, a Russian is a ''moskal'' ("Muscovite")", a foreigner and an intruder, at best a carpetbagger, at worst a thief in league with the devil." The negative connotation, however, came in around the late 18th-early 19th centuries in the form of an ethnic slur labelling all Russians. At that time, soldiers of the Imperial Russian Army (and later those of the
Search query in Russian-Ukrainian dictionaries
{{Ethnic slurs Pejorative terms for European people Anti-Russian sentiment
Moskal,, be, маскаль, link=no, pl, moskal, link=no, Romanian: ''muscal'', hu, muszka, link=no, lt, maskolis, link=no) also known as Muscal, is a historical designation used for the residents of the Grand Duchy of Moscow from the 12th to the 15th centuries.
It is now sometimes used in Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, and Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, but also in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, as an ethnic slur
The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or ot ...
for Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
. The term is generally considered to be derogatory or condescending and reciprocal to the Russian term '' khokhol'' for Ukrainians. Another ethnic slur for Russians is '' kacap'' in Polish, or '' katsap'' ( Кацап) in Ukrainian.
History and etymology
Initially, as early as the 12th century, ''moskal'' referred to the residents of "Moscovia", the word literally translating as "Muscovite" (differentiating the residents of the Grand Duchy of Moscow from otherEast Slavs
The East Slavs are the most populous subgroup of the Slavs. They speak the East Slavic languages, and formed the majority of the population of the medieval state Kievan Rus', which they claim as their cultural ancestor.John Channon & Robert H ...
such as people from White Ruthenia
White Ruthenia ( cu, Бѣла Роусь, Bela Rous'; be, Белая Русь, Biełaja Ruś; pl, Ruś Biała; russian: Белая Русь, Belaya Rus'; ukr, Біла Русь, Bila Rus') alternatively known as Russia Alba, White Rus' or W ...
( Belarusians), Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia or Red Rus' ( la, Ruthenia Rubra; '; uk, Червона Русь, Chervona Rus'; pl, Ruś Czerwona, Ruś Halicka; russian: Червонная Русь, Chervonnaya Rus'; ro, Rutenia Roșie), is a term used since the Middle Ages fo ...
(Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...
), and others). With time, the word became an archaism in all the East Slavic languages
The East Slavic languages constitute one of three regional subgroups of the Slavic languages, distinct from the West and South Slavic languages. East Slavic languages are currently spoken natively throughout Eastern Europe, and eastwards to Siber ...
, and survived only as a family name in each of those languages—see below. Edyta M. Bojanowska (2007) "Nikolai Gogol: Between Ukrainian And Russian Nationalism" p. 55
"In the 'low', folksy world of the provincial narrators, a Russian is a ''moskal'' ("Muscovite")", a foreigner and an intruder, at best a carpetbagger, at worst a thief in league with the devil." The negative connotation, however, came in around the late 18th-early 19th centuries in the form of an ethnic slur labelling all Russians. At that time, soldiers of the Imperial Russian Army (and later those of the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
) stationed in parts of present-day Poland, Romania and Ukraine became known as muscals.
Cultural influence
"Moskal" is a stock character of the traditional Ukrainian puppet theatre form, vertep. ''Moskaliki'' is a Ukrainian designation for small fish typically used as bait or as a casual snack. It also gave rise to a number of East Slavic family names.See also
* Anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine * List of ethnic slurs * Vatnik (slang)References
External links
*Search query in Russian-Ukrainian dictionaries
{{Ethnic slurs Pejorative terms for European people Anti-Russian sentiment