постаць

Belarusian

Alternative forms

postać — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Ruthenian по́стать (póstatʹ). Compare Polish postać and Ukrainian по́стать (póstatʹ).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈpostat͡sʲ]
Audio: (file)

Noun

по́стаць • (póstacʹ) f inan (genitive по́стаці, nominative plural по́стаці, genitive plural по́стацей or по́стацяў)

figure (the shape of a human body)
Synonyms: стан (stan), фігу́ра (fihúra)
- 1928 [1928], Arthur Conan Doyle, translated by Кастусь Гарабурда, Глыбіня Маракота, Minsk: ДВБ, translation of The Maracot Deep, page 55:
  Раптам мы заўважылі яго твар, пазіраўшы на нас праз ваду, і праз хвілінку ён улез да нас, стаў з намі. Гэта была невялікая, прысадзістая постаць, мне пад плячо.
  Raptam my zaŭvažyli jahó tvar, paziraŭšy na nas praz vadu, i praz xvilinku jon uljez da nas, staŭ z nami. Heta byla njevjalikaja, prysadzistaja póstacʹ, mnje pad pljačó.
  [original: Suddenly we were aware of his face looking up at us through the water beneath and an instant later he had passed through the circular opening and had clambered on to the settee, so that he was standing by our side—a short sturdy figure, not higher than my shoulder]
  Suddenly we were aware of his face looking at us through the water and an instant later he had clambered over to us, so that he was standing by our side—a short sturdy figure, not higher than my shoulder.
- 1938 [1848], Charles Dickens, anonymous translator, Домбі і сын, Minsk: ДВБ, translation of Dombey and Son, page 58:
  — Гм! — сказала яна, аглядаючы кволую постаць дзіцяці. — Больш я нічога не бачу, апрача чаравікаў. Мне патрэбны гэтыя чаравікі, міс Домбі.
  — Hm! — skazala jana, ahljadajučy kvóluju póstacʹ dzicjaci. — Bolʹš ja ničóha nje baču, aprača čaravikaŭ. Mnje patrebny hetyja čaraviki, mis Dómbi.
  [original: "Humph!" she said, running her eyes over the child's slight figure, "I don’t see anything else—except the shoes. I must have the shoes, Miss Dombey."]

Declension

Declension of по́стаць (inan soft 3rd-decl fem-form accent-a)

	singular	plural
nominative	по́стаць póstacʹ	по́стаці póstaci
genitive	по́стаці póstaci	по́стацей, по́стацяў póstacjej, póstacjaŭ
dative	по́стаці póstaci	по́стацям póstacjam
accusative	по́стаць póstacʹ	по́стаці póstaci
instrumental	по́стаццю póstaccju	по́стацямі póstacjami
locative	по́стаці póstaci	по́стацях póstacjax
count form	—	по́стаці¹ póstaci¹

¹Used with the numbers 2, 3, 4 and higher numbers after 20 ending in 2, 3, and 4.

References

Bulyka, A. M., editor (2007), “постать”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 27 (поровенъ – прегрешити), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 201
“постаць”, in Skarnik's Belarusian dictionary (in Belarusian), based on Kandrat Krapiva's Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1977-1984)
“постаць” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org