Are there any fundamental differences between a glass and a wine glass?

Russian - one of the richest languages ​​in the world - has absorbed many foreign words. A glass and a wine glass are among them, borrowed. In everyday life, we often use them as synonymous words. But is it really so? Let's figure it out.

Wine glass and glass - what's the difference?

To answer this question, let's turn to official sources.

The meaning (interpretation) of words

IN Explanatory Dictionary of V.I. Dahl, first published in the sixties of the XIX century, the "glass" is present. It is defined as "a glass of a different kind from others: large, tall, or on a leg... a large glass, or high... for sparkling wines." About the glass - not a word.

IN Explanatory Dictionary of S.I. Ozhegova, the first copy of which was seen in 1949, a glass means a vessel for wine in the form of a large glass. To raise a glass means to propose a toast to someone or something. There is also a mention of a wine glass: it is described as a glass on a high stem. An example is also given the stable expressions "crystal glass" and "champagne glasses".

It is difficult to draw any unambiguous conclusions based on this information, so let's dig deeper.

Etymology (origin)

The history and origin of words is dealt with by a special section of linguistics - etymology. The data obtained as a result of research are contained in etymological dictionaries, as well as in dictionaries of foreign words. Linguists associate the concept of "glass":

• with Italian bocca - mouth and boccale - mug, beer mug, jug, mouth;
• with French bocal - a jar, a jug, a bottle, a bottle.

According to some sources, the word has Greek or Latin roots. One way or another, in the broadest sense it means "a drinking vessel with a leg."

Wine glass in The Comprehensive Dictionary of Foreign Words of the Russian Language means "wine glass". But in etymological dictionary N. M. Shansky there is more detailed information. According to them, the word "fougere" was borrowed from French at the end of the 19th century. Fougères is the name of the city in which the production of fougere glass was launched in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Therefore, in the dictionary of V.I. Dahl, which by this time had already been published, there is no mention of him.

Conclusions and assumptions

Summarizing all of the above, we can summarize:

1. A glass is the general name for drinking vessels with a stem.
2. A wine glass is a type of glass designed for sparkling wines such as champagne.

But this, as young people like to say now, is not accurate. The data, as we can see, are rather approximate and do not give an unambiguous answer to the question.

I, for example, have my own version of this. Perhaps one of the Russian merchants once brought glasses from the city of Fougeres. To attract attention and increase sales, or maybe because of problems with French, he could leave the original name. And then it went “to the people”. But that's just a guess.

Is it worth focusing on how to speak correctly: a glass or a wine glass? In this particular case, it doesn't really matter. If scholars - representatives of Russian literature - did not come to a common opinion, then why should we, mere mortals, "break" our brains over this. Pour champagne into glasses, raise glasses to the health of family and friends, and be happy.