Pallas's cat from Moscow Zoo added a word

A new entry has appeared in the official dictionary of the Russian language — the word "zazhivorka". The reason was explained by the press service of the Moscow Zoo, thanking the Pallas's cat, a representative of which became the symbol of this novelty.

The zoo's social media frequently published photos of Pallas's cats with captions indicating "zazhivorka", which attracted attention from the public and linguists. The text described: "Zazhivorka affects not only the waistline — but also the behavior of Pallas's cats. They run more often and actively search for food."

The dictionary acquired the word thanks to a popular example from the zoo's collection, which emphasized the term's significance in modern speech and led to its lexicographic recognition.

Context

Previously, the word "zazhivorka" was used in colloquial speech, but only after the zoo's publications was it officially included in dictionaries.