MAT part 2: Derivatives.

[taosu.livejournal.com]

Well, to say the truth I was shocked when today checked my mailbox and found 58 comment notifications. I didn't expect such feedback. Thanks.

Now about the meaning of word MAT itself. Note the following expressions:

verbs:

материть(ся) — to just talk or insult using MAT;
матюгать(ся), матюкать(ся) — the same as above;
ругать(ся) матом — the same as above;
крыть матом — the same as above;
посылать матом — to send the listener far away using MAT.

nouns:

маты, матюги, матюки — MAT words;
матерщина — insultive speaking;
матерщинник — active user of MAT;

adjectives:

матерный — that contains маты (матерная речь, матерные слова)

Their radicals supposedly origin from word мать — mother. In the ancient times the main meaning of MAT was insulting the listener's mother. Some phrases that express this idea are still present in Russian but are much obsolete and rarely used:

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Зачем vs. Почему

[zombie-laika.livejournal.com]

My Russian text has confused me on the difference between зачем and почему. I've looked at a few sources to try and simplify things. Is there an easy way to tell when it is appropriate to use зачем versus почему? (Does it help to break them down into за + чем and по + чему?)