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[upthera44.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know why the word for brewing or distilling in Russian is the same as "to chase" -- гонять? 

Comments

[zhp.livejournal.com]

It's not "гонять", it's "гнать". Nobody says, "Он гоняет самогон", only "гонит".
But as to your question - unfortunately, I have no idea.

[julparker.livejournal.com]

I would guess it's because of "перегонять" = distill

[zhp.livejournal.com]

well, that was kind of the question - why is distilling linguistically similar to chasing in Russian.

[kolldun.livejournal.com]

Because while distellating you are "пергеоняешь" a luiquid from one bawl to another. Also there is another Russian word with similar meaning: "возгонка", "возгонять", "гонит" - because what you get as a result of destination process is the lightest fractions you had in the original liquid, so you are so to say make the latest part flay up high, "возгоняешь", "гонишь" and then just collect it in another boule or whatever

[hellga.livejournal.com]

To brew beer = варить пиво
To make moonshine = гнать самогон
To distill spirits = перегонять брагу (на спирт)

The word is probably related to the name for the apparatus used - перегонный куб. Because liquid is being, well, "chased" from one part of the vessel to another.

[ar-quel.livejournal.com]

Maybe because brewing involves certain liquid moving, and "гонять" means doing something motional.

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

гнать is also close to гнить. I wonder if there is any relationship there. Sorry, I'm not a linguist but was curious about this word! Thanks to all.

[zhp.livejournal.com]

sorry, гнать is not close to гнить in any way.

[kris-ks.livejournal.com]

and 'buy' is similar to 'boy'. is there any relationship too?)))

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Are "good-bye" and "good buy" also related? ;-)

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, but I thought maybe since fermentation of alcohol is actually a kind of "rotting" (I'm not a chemist, but that is my very rough understanding), that there might actually be an etymological connection. Not just an idiotic question :)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Depends on what kind of alcohol we are talking about, btw. Fermentation of horse milk (which produces Central-Asian kumis,) of ale brewing, has very little to do with "rotting."

[pogodda.livejournal.com]

The stage of sublimation (liquid transits into gasiform) in Russian is "возгонка" , the verb is "возгонять". May be this is the clue.

[licvidator.livejournal.com]

Sublimation is from solid to gas, without liquid phase

[pogodda.livejournal.com]

Ups, sorry. False trace.

[kikimorra.livejournal.com]

I think it's the same meaning of гнать as in the expression ты гонишь which means 'you're making this up'. This meaning is based on the idea of producing a flow of something. And it is apparent in the use of гнать, for example, when you make a herd of cattle go someplace (гнать скот). It isn't exactly chasing, if my understanding od the word 'chase' is correct, but it produces a picture of a flow of elements from a certain origin. It also means to speed and to speed up. So, basicly, I would say that the meanings of this word form a spectrum, and 'chase' and 'brew' are just at the ends of it, but if you look at a complete dictionary entry for гнать you'll be able to figure out how one aspect of meaning gives rise to another.

[orie.livejournal.com]

The word for distillation in Russian is "перегонка" ("перегонять"). The same word is used for cattle.

I think it's used because liquid and gas are moving through the tubes, as if you were chasing them.

[moola.livejournal.com]

I would rather say it is a transition form one state to another (from gas to liquid in case of spirit distilling) than from one tube to another.

[finemechanics.livejournal.com]

I think the answer is that the word "гнать" means "to force something (or someone) to move". When distilling you force the fumes to pass through the apparatus by the pressure applied by boiling liquid.

By the way, "to brew" is doubtly translated as "гнать". It is more likely means "варить" = "to produce (cook) something in bubbling liquid (usually by heating it, but also because of fermentation as in case of beer brewing)".

[licvidator.livejournal.com]

Alembic is перегонный куб in russian. Also higher temperature creates higher pressure and liquid flows faster. These two reasons is enough for us to use word гнать.
And I believe that "to chase" is not correct. Гнать is closer to "drive".

[mew-magic5.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I don't have an answer, just find it funny we were discussing the exact same thing in class today. But I learned how to say moonshine, to distill, etc. So I'll take that.

[moola.livejournal.com]

One of definitions that Dal gives to перегонять is "понуждать к переходу" - "force into a transition".
This can be applied to driving a herd from one place to another and to distilling spirit.

[kys.livejournal.com]

гонять (гнать) may be a transitive verb characterizing the influence on an object (гонять машину, гнать лошадей, отогнать птиц). гонять дичь is the same, it does not mean one is following closely as in преследовать дичь, it means one makes дичь move against it's own wishes. гонять, гнать can be also related to the movement of the subject with object sometimes omitted (гонять от конторы к конторе весь день, нагнать расписание). перегонять may be related both to the movement of subject (overtaking/surpassing the object) and to the movement of object (move the car from one country to another, move the livestock from one pasture to another, move the liquid from one container to another).

[belaja-belka.livejournal.com]

"Гнать" is not exatly "to chase", it's rather "to drive". Make someone or something to move. In case of distilling - make alcohol move out from mixture.