белая смерть
belaya smert'
The Russian phrase for "white death" is белая смерть (belaya smert').
This phrase is used to describe death caused by extreme cold or avalanches.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective белая (white) and the noun смерть (death).
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing a fear of or a cause of white death, the phrase takes the genitive case белой смерти.
How do you pronounce it?
belaya smert'
Did you know?
- The phrase белая смерть is the famous nickname of Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper who recorded the most kills in any single war during the Winter War against the Soviet Union.
- If a Russian speaker wanted to say someone 'died of the cold' more naturally, they would likely use the verb замерзнуть (to freeze) rather than the poetic белая смерть.
- In Russian, the concept of 'death' is often personified in folklore, but 'white death' is a relatively modern, descriptive term rather than a mythological figure.
Examples in context
- Белая смерть настигла альпинистов в горах.Belaya smert' nastigla alpinistov v gorakh.The white death caught the climbers in the mountains.
- Лавина это и есть белая смерть.Lavina eto i est' belaya smert'.An avalanche is the white death.
