сова

From Proto-Slavic *sova, possibly of onomatopoeic origin distantly related to English howl.

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɔvɐ]

со́ва • (sóva) f (relational adjective со́вов)

1. owl (bird of order Strigiformes)

• забу́лена со́ва (zabúlena sóva, “barn owl”) (family Tytonidae)
• съ́щинска со́ва (sǎ́štinska sóva, “true owl”) (family Strigidae)

• со́вам (sóvam, “to shove, to shuttle”) (dialectal, possibly cognate)
  • сова́лка (soválka, “shuttle”)

• “сова”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “сова”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010

Inherited from Old Slovak sova, from Proto-Slavic *sova. Cognates include Slovak sova and Carpathian Rusyn сова́ (sová).

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɔva]
• Rhymes: -ɔva
• Hyphenation: со‧ва

сова (sova) f

1. owl

• Medʹeši, H., Fejsa, M., Timko-Djitko, O. (2010) “сова”, in Ramač, Ju., editor, Руско-сербски словнїк [Rusyn-Serbian Dictionary] (in Pannonian Rusyn), Novi Sad: Faculty of Philosophy

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sova.

• IPA^(key): [sɐˈva]

• Audio:

  (file)

сова́ • (sová) f anim (genitive совы́, nominative plural со́вы, genitive plural сов, relational adjective сови́ный, diminutive со́вушка)

1. owl

   бе́лая сова́ ― bélaja sová ― (Bubo scandiacus, syn. Nyctea scandiaca) snowy owl

   уша́стая сова́ ― ušástaja sová ― (Asio otus) horned owl

   Он сиди́т, как сова́ на забо́ре

   On sidít, kak sová na zabóre

   He doesn’t pay attention to anything (half blind and absent-minded).

2. night person, night owl

In Russian culture, owls are not known for their wisdom; rather, they symbolize daytime blindness and absent-mindedness.

• совёнок m anim (sovjónok)
• сове́ть impf (sovétʹ), осове́ть pf (osovétʹ)
• со́вка f anim (sóvka)

Compounds:

• From сови́ный (sovínyj):
  • сови́ный попуга́й m anim (sovínyj popugáj)
  • совиноли́цый (sovinolícyj)
    • совиноли́цая марты́шка f anim (sovinolícaja martýška)

Phrases

• натяну́ть сову́ на гло́бус pf (natjanútʹ sovú na glóbus), натя́гивать сову́ на гло́бус (natjágivatʹ sovú na glóbus)

• → Ingrian: sova

• сыч (syč)
• фи́лин (fílin)
• нея́сыть (nejásytʹ)
• сипу́ха (sipúxa)

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882) “сова”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.
• сова in Большой толковый словарь, editor-in-chief С. А. Кузнецов – hosted at gramota.ru

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sova.

• IPA^(key): /sǒːʋa/

со́ва f (Latin spelling sóva)

1. owl

• “сова”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

From Proto-Slavic *sova.

• IPA^(key): [sɔˈʋa]

• Audio:

  (file)

сова́ • (sová) f animal (genitive сови́, nominative plural со́ви, genitive plural сов)

1. owl

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “сова”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka