The word “negligence” is used to describe carelessness, inattention, and sloppiness in the performance of work or other duties. However, the history of the word and its connection to the robe has deep roots that go back centuries.
The word robe, as is known, is of Turkish origin. In Rus', the robe was typically home clothing for landowners, officials and all the nobility, and its wearers were often associated with a lack of desire for active work or responsibility. Therefore, the robe acted as a kind of symbol of the gentry with its laziness and irresponsibility.
It is interesting that the word “negligent” acquired a qualitative meaning describing a careless, slovenly and lazily dishonest way of life only in the 19th century. This quality began to be called “negligence”, as evidenced by various works of literature. However, in the evolution of the word “negligent” a noticeable trace was left by N.V. Gogol. It was he who gave the adjective “negligent” an ironic coloring and used it to describe characters with a character accustomed to a carefree and slovenly way of life.
In the first volume of Dead Souls, for example, it tells of two inhabitants of the hinterland: “One was the father of a family, named Kifa Mokievich, a man of meek character, who spent his life in a careless manner. He was not concerned with his family; his existence was more focused on the speculative side and was occupied with the following, as he called it, philosophical question…” (this is where it would be appropriate to reread to the end the story of the father and the heroic son, Mokiy Kifovich, who “never knew how to take anything lightly”).
It should be noted that “negligence” and “negligent” remain relevant in modern society. Despite the fact that the robe as an item of clothing has ceased to be a symbol of luxury, its metaphorical meaning associated with carelessness and frivolity continues to live in language and our perception.
Moreover, over the past decades, the negative connotation of the word “negligence” has noticeably increased. The concept has even entered the Criminal Code as a type of official crime.
