Matryoshka

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A hollow painted wooden doll that opens to reveal a smaller doll inside ; a set of such dolls nested within one another as a traditional Russian toy
2. A set of wooden figures that fit inside one another, each opening to reveal a smaller one ; a traditional Russian style of nested toy built on that principle
3. A painted wooden toy doll that separates into halves containing a smaller doll ; a Russian folk design in which nested figures stack inside each other

Etymology: The nesting doll's name began as a woman's first name. Russian "Matrjóna" was a common given name, a diminutive form of which, "matrjóška," came to mean a peasant woman, and by extension the familiar nickname for a sturdy, nesting figure. The name traces back to Latin "mātrōna," meaning "matron" or married woman, which was borrowed into Greek and then into Slavic and Russian church usage, where it became the personal name "Matrona" before softening to "Matrjóna." The link to the nested toys is a matter of affectionate naming rather than a technical term: the wooden figures were popularly called by this familiar name, and the word then became the standard name for the doll itself. The name's journey from a Roman matron to a Russian folk figure is one of the more unexpected routes a Latin word has taken into English.

Synonyms: nesting doll, babushka doll