Moskal
Encyclopedia
Moskal is a historical term and present day ethnic slur referring to Russians
. It is primarily used as a slur in Ukraine
, and Belarus
.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. It is primarily used as a slur in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
Ethnic slur
Moskal can be a type of ethnic slur with a mild negative connotation.- a historic reference word for RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, or literally Muscovite (a person from MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
or Muscovy) to differentiate them from other Eastern Slavs such as people from the White Rus'White RussiaWhite Russia or White Ruthenia is a name that has historically been applied to a part of the wider region of Ruthenia or Rus', most often to that which roughly corresponds to the eastern part of present-day Belarus including the cities of Polatsk, Vitsyebsk and Mahiliou. In English, the use of the...
(Belarusians), the Red Rus'Red RutheniaRed Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Eastern Galicia prior to World War I; first mentioned in Polish historic chronicles in the 1321, as Ruthenia Rubra or Ruthenian Voivodeship .Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the...
(Galicians), others; used in several Slavic languages: Belarusian, Polish and Ukrainian, today it is considered largely an archaismArchaismIn language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
and an ethnic slur. - a soldier of the Russian Imperial Army (later the Soviet ArmySoviet ArmyThe Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
) in the Ukrainian language. People who were drafted to the Army were known to be taken into moskali . Because most of the Ukrainians after serving in the Army spoke often in Russian after demobilizationDemobilizationDemobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
, the word obtained its negative connotation and was applying to the person who lost his roots as well.
Common Surname
Moskal is a common Central and Eastern European surname.- Edward MoskalEdward MoskalEdward Moskal was a longtime and outspoken president of the Polish National Alliance and the Polish American Congress .- Early life, awards, honors, and death :...
(1924–2005), president of the Polish American Congress - Robert M. Moskal (born 1937), Ukrainian bishop of Parma, OhioParma, OhioParma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
(United States) - See also Kazimierz Moskal (disambiguation)
Other
- a type of European spratEuropean spratThe European sprat, Sprattus sprattus, also known as bristling, brisling or skipper, is a small, herring-like, marine fish. Found in European waters, it has silver grey scales and white-grey flesh. Specific seas in which the species occurs include the Irish Sea, Baltic Sea and Sea of the Hebrides...
(Latin: Clupeidae Latulus) - a type of flaxFlaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
(Latin: Linum usitatissimum) - a north-eastern wind in the Eastern Ukraine.
- (muscal) a driver of horse-drawn cabs (RomanianRomanian languageRomanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
culture)