бєст bosom, bust, breasts

bosom
Вїзаная кћфта тџго обтїгивала её бєст. A knitted jacket fit her bosom snugly.
bust
Свќтер тџго обтїгивал её высћкий бєст. The sweater fit her high bust snugly.

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the use of the word бєст to refer to a woman's bosom. For the difference between the word бєст and its synonym грџдь2 see Synonyms under Lexical Relationships, below.

Morphology

бєст SS m.in.noun

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose bosom it is
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive
Бєст Ђнны Ильќничны отличђлся необыкновљнной пІшностью. Anna Ilyinichna had an unusually splendid bosom.
Прљжде всегћ бросђлся в глазђ её велќчественный бєст. The first thing that struck one's eye was her majestic bosom.
NB When the word бєст functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction бєст у + Genitive is sometimes preferred to бєст + Ng:
Бєст у Ђнны Ильќничны отличђлся необыкновљнной пІшностью. Anna Ilyinichna had an unusually splendid bosom.

Lexical Relationships

Synonyms

грџдь2 bosom, bust, breasts
NB The word бєст refers to the appearance rather than to the function of the breast; that is, this word will not be used when speaking of breast feeding, for example. It is used mainly in expressions which describe the shape of a woman's bosom (usually indicating a large, high bosom). Like the English word "bosom," it is perceived as a single unit, and thus cannot combine with adjectives such as "left" and "right." The word грџдь2 is used in many different situations, including those referring to function.

Size and shape; aesthetics

большћй бєст a large bosom
высћкий бєст a high bosom
пІшный бєст a lush/large bosom
роскћшный бєст a magnificent bosom
NB This refers to a large, well-shaped bosom.
держђвный бєст a stately bosom
велќчественный бєст a majestic bosom
у Ng нљт бєстаg N is flat-chested
Чтћ же іто за жљнщина? Никакћго бєста нљт. What sort of woman is that? She's completely flat-chested (lit. "has no bust").
NB The following adjectives are used with the word грџдь but not with the word бєст: мђленький "small," плћский "flat," приплєснутый "flat."

Other visible properties and conditions

обнажённый бєст; открІтый бєст a bare bosom
закрІтый бєст a covered bosom
обтїгивать [no Pf.]: Nn (тџго) обтїгивает бєстa N fits the bust snugly (or strains across the bust)
NB N = блџзка "blouse," кћфта "sweater," etc.

Sample texts

Черноглђзая францџженка с пІшным бєстом задћрно пљла, плћхо выговђривая рџсские словђ. [Вересђев, В єные гћды] The dark-eyed Frenchwoman with the lush bosom sang with gusto in heavily-accented Russian. [Veresaev, "In the Youthful Years"]
Плђтье сидљло на нљй в обтїжку...
От ітого дђже и закрІтый бєст её... мћг бы послужќть живопќсцу ќли скџльптору модљлью крљпкой здорћвой грудќ [И. Гончарћв, Облћмов] 		The dress was close-fitting... Because of that, even her clothed bosom... could have served as a model for a painter or sculptor of firm and healthy breasts. [I. Goncharov, Oblomov]