дверь
dver'
/ˈdvʲerʲ/
Definition
A door; the movable barrier used to open or close the entrance to a room or building.
Example
Пожалуйста, закройте дверь — на улице холодно.
Show translation
Please close the door — it's cold outside.
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *dvьrь, itself from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwer- ("door, gate"). The same root gives Latin *foris* (door), Greek *θύρα* (thýra), and English *door* — making дверь a striking example of a word shared across nearly the entire Indo-European family for over five thousand years.
Cultural note
In Russian superstition, standing in a doorway (на пороге) while talking to someone inside is considered bad luck — an old belief linked to the threshold being a boundary between the domestic world and the outside. Guests are traditionally invited fully inside rather than greeted at the door. The phrase «открыть дверь» (to open the door) is also widely used figuratively, meaning to create an opportunity, much as in English.