Definition
Bread; the basic baked food made from flour and water. Also used to mean livelihood or daily sustenance.
Example
Она купила свежий хлеб в магазине.
Show translation
She bought fresh bread at the store.
Etymology
From Old Church Slavonic *хлѣбъ* (xlěbŭ), itself borrowed from Proto-Germanic *\*hlaibaz* (cf. Gothic *hlaifs*, Old Norse *hleifr*), meaning "loaf." The word spread across Slavic languages via early contact with Germanic peoples and has been central to the Slavic vocabulary for over a millennium.
Cultural note
Bread holds enormous cultural and symbolic weight in Russia. The traditional greeting for honoured guests is **хлеб-соль** (khleb-sol', "bread and salt") — a loaf of bread with a salt cellar placed on top, symbolising hospitality and welcome. The phrase is so deeply ingrained that хлеб-соль is used as a single compound noun meaning "hospitality." Calling something "хлеб насущный" (daily bread) echoes the Lord's Prayer and means the bare necessities of life.