Despite the unambiguously negative interpretation of the word in modern Russian, in ancient Russia the smerds were by no means the last people. And the name did not characterize a person on the basis of personal qualities.
Who are stinkers today
In modern dictionaries of the Russian language, the word smerd is interpreted as a farmer - free or independent, who after the XIV century began to be called a peasant. According to a common version, it is believed that after the liquidation of the boyar republics at the end of the 15th century, the term "smerd" loses its social meaning and is retained in everyday speech as a derogatory nickname. Based on this, the second meaning of the word, figurative, is indicated close in meaning to the derogatory verb "stink". For example, "A Man of Noble Origin" by T. F. Efremova (Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova); "A commoner, an ignoramus, as opposed to a prince, a combatant" (Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov). The following are used as synonyms: plebeian, black bone, peasant, Kuharkin son, grimy. Currently, stink is an abusive, offensive word. This is the name of a person who smells bad - both in the literal and figurative sense. That is, it has acquired a complete personality profile.
