Every year on December 9 in the Russian Federation is the Day of the fight against corruption. This phenomenon is very, very old, rooted for many centuries in the depths of history. Only earlier it was most often expressed in bribery or, as it was called more precisely, bribery. The meaning of the word "bribe" is quite multivariant. Below we consider the most common interpretations.
Bribe as a reward
One of the outdated interpretations of the word was payment for the work performed or remuneration for the performance of duties under some kind of mutual agreement reached between the parties. Although in some literary sources the meaning of bribe also looks somewhat ambiguous and semi-criminal for the modern worldview. So, in V. M. Doroshevich’s rather well-known work “Aside from the big world”, bribe is payment for the services of bandits for the protection of roads and estates from other dashing people (directly “roofing” in a modern manner).
In the famous dictionary of V. M. Dahl, bribe is, of course, first of all, remuneration, production, profit, profit, that is, some kind of income, and the baker is a hired worker for some fee. So, for the most part, we are all now - Mezdniks - employees who work under an employment contract for their employer.
Bribe and bribery
In everyday use, when we hear the words “bribe” or “bribe taker”, an associative series with embezzlement and bribery immediately arises. Yes, yes, to the present world from the old world, this word migrated mainly in that sense. So, the widespread concept: bribe is a bribe.
The situation when an unscrupulous civil servant or employee of some state institution (and teachers and doctors are not officials in the general sense of the word) takes money for fulfilling his direct duties or for not very lawful patronage in resolving any issues, is called bribery or bribery. And the bribe taker himself is called the bribe taker, and the bribe giver (by the way, no less significant person in the corruption, and then the trial) is called the literary bribe taker. Well, Dahl's love of such material reward is called love of love.
Bribe is retribution
Not very widely used version of the interpretation of the word "bribe", but having its place, especially in fiction. So, the third version of the meaning of the word "bribe" is retribution, retribution for some not too specious acts. Particularly appropriate in this sense, the word "bribe" is used in the poem by the famous Russian poet-Decembrist K. F. Ryleev "To the temporary worker, " where the word implies fair vengeance, retribution.
