noun General Slang

Devotchka

/dɪˈvɒtʃkə/ · noun · slang

Nadsat for a girl or young woman, from the Russian 'devochka'.

0

Definitions

1

Used more loosely for any female the speaker fancies or notices, with a streetwise tone.

“There was this devotchka he could not stop staring at.”
by community
0
2

Contrasts in the text with 'ptitsa' (woman, 'bird') and 'baboochka' (old woman), marking age and attitude.

“Not a baboochka, he said, but a young devotchka.”
by community
0
3

In Nadsat, a devotchka is a girl or young woman. Source word: Russian 'devochka' (девочка), literally 'girl'.

“Two young devotchkas in the milk bar catch the narrator's eye.”
by community
0

Devotchka In A Sentence

He bought the devotchka a moloko and tried to govoreet smooth.
Two devotchkas were eating ice cream by the jukebox.
A young devotchka can change a malchick's whole night.

Origin & Usage

Coined by Burgess in A Clockwork Orange (1962) from the Russian 'devochka', 'girl', one of many Russian-derived Nadsat nouns Burgess used to defamiliarise English for the reader.

Variants devotchkas
Tags #nadsat#clockwork-orange#fictional#literary#people

People Also Ask

What does devotchka mean?

It is Nadsat for a girl or young woman, from the Russian 'devochka'.

How is devotchka different from ptitsa?

Devotchka leans toward a younger girl, while ptitsa (literally 'bird') refers more generally to a woman.

Is devotchka a real Russian word?

The root 'devochka' is genuine Russian; Burgess only anglicised its spelling for Nadsat.

Comments 0