грџдь2 breast, i.e. one of the two breasts on a woman's body; bosom, bust, breasts, chest, i.e. both breasts seen as a single shape

breast
Ребёнок жђдно сосђл грџдь мђтери. The child greedily sucked at its mother's breast.
Лљвая грџдь у неё былђ открІта. Her left breast was uncovered.
bosom, bust
У вошљдшей дђмы былђ пІшная грџдь. The lady who came in had a large bosom/bust.
breasts
Посмотрќ на менї! Старџха — грџдь вІсохла. Look at me! An old woman with withered breasts.
chest
приплєснутая грџдь a flat chest

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the use of the word грџдь to refer to each of the two breasts on a woman's body or to both breasts seen as a single shape. Both the singular and the plural forms occur in the first usage. The singular form грџдь also occurs in the second usage, i.e. it refers to a woman's bosom. In informal style, the plural form грџди is also used to refer to a woman's bosom.

The singular form грџдь is also used in standard style to refer to the chest of a human or animal. This meaning is described in a separate entry (грџдь1). The word грџдь is also used to refer to the part of clothing that covers the chest. This meaning is not described in this dictionary, nor is the meaning "imaginary seat of emotions" (И вдрџг ћн почџвствовал такџю тоскџ в грудќ! "And suddenly he felt such anguish in his bosom!")

For the differences between грџдь2 and its synonym бєст see Lexical Relationships, below.

Morphology

грџдь EE [or Old-fashioned SE] Loc. (в/на) -ќ ISg. грџдью, NPlur. грџди; f.in.noun

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose breast it is
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive
Грџдь госпожќ Шляпентћх былђ восхитќтельных размљров. The size of madam Shlyapentokh's bosom was fascinating.
Её лљвая грџдь былђ открІта. Her left breast was uncovered.
NB When the word грџдь functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction грџдь у + Genitive is often preferred to (a) and (b), above:
Грџдь у госпожќ Шляпентћх былђ восхитќтельных размљров. The size of madam Shlyapentokh's bosom was fascinating.

Restrictive modifiers

(a) adjectival modifier
лљвая/прђвая грџдь the left/right breast
Лљвая грџдь у неё былђ открІта. Her left breast was uncovered.

Lexical Relationships

Synonyms

бєст bust, a woman's bosom
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.
сќська Vulgar tit
буферђ Slang tits
пљрси Poetic and Obsolete breasts

Diminutives

грџдка breast

Parts

сосћк nipple and areola
Appearance, conditions, and sensations

Size and shape; aesthetics

большђя грџдь a large bosom; a large breast
высћкая грџдь a high bosom
пћлная грџдь a full bosom; a full breast
пІшная грџдь a large bosom
роскћшная грџдь a magnificent bosom
грудђстая Colloquial large-breasted
мђленькая грџдь a small bosom; a small breast
плћская грџдь; приплєснутая грџдь a flat chest
нерђзвитая грџдь pre-pubescent breasts
NB The adjectives shown above are also used with the plural form грџди, e.g. большќе грџди, пІшные грџди, etc. In the 19th century this usage was stylistically neutral, but in contemporary Russian it is colloquial, somewhat shocking, and not to be used freely.
ћстрые грџди conical breasts
NB The singular forms of грџдь are not used with the adjective ћстрая.

Other properties and conditions (non-medical)

бљлая грџдь a white bosom; a white breast
мїгкая грџдь a soft bosom; a soft breast
нљжная грџдь a tender bosom; a tender breast
тугђя грџдь a firm bosom; a firm breast
упрџгая грџдь a supple bosom; a supple breast
крљпкая грџдь; твёрдая грџдь a firm bosom; a firm breast
висљть [no Pf.]: у Ng грџдьn висќт N's breasts are sagging
тяжёлая грџдь a heavy bosom; a heavy breast
гћлая грџдь a naked bosom; a naked breast
открІтая грџдь a bare bosom; a bare breast
обнажённая грџдь a bared bosom; a bared breast

Characteristics of age

дљвичья грџдь; девќческая грџдь Obsolete girlish breasts
дрїблая грџдь a flabby bosom; one flabby breast
вІсохнуть [no Impf.]: у Ng грџдьn вІсохла N's breasts are withered
иссћхшая грџдь Bookish withered breasts

Sensations and medical conditions

болљть/заболљть [Pf-begin]: у Ng грџдьn болќт N's breast hurts; N's breasts hurt
ћпухоль грудќg a breast tumor
рђк грудќg breast cancer
груднќца Colloquial; мастќт mastitis
кистђ a cyst
затвердљние в грудќloc a lump in the breast
Врачќ рекомендџют жљнщинам врљмя от врљмени проверїть, нљт ли у нќх в грудќ затвердљний. Doctors recommend that from time to time women check their breasts for lumps.

Breast feeding

кормќть [no Pf.] Na грџдьюi;
вскђрмливать/вскормќть Na грџдьюi 		to breast-feed N
NB Of the two expressions above, the first can refer either to a specific instance or to the practice of breast-feeding; the second refers only to the practice of breast-feeding.
давђть/дђть Nd грџдьa to give N the breast
отнимђть/отнїть Na от грудќg;
отлучђть/отлучќть Na от грудќg Formal 		to wean N
брђть/взїть грџдьa to breast feed
С ітим ребёнком проблљма: ћн не берёт грџдь. There's a problem with this child: he won't breast feed.
сосђть [no Pf.] грџдьa to suck at the breast
наливђться/налќться: у Ng грџдьn налилђсь молокћмi;
набухђть/набџхнуть: у Ng грџдьn набџхла 		N's breasts are filled with milk
NB The above expressions are not used in medical jargon as is the English "to lactate."
(тџго) перевїзывать/перевязђть грџдьa to bind one's breasts (in order to stop lactation)
у Ng нљт молокђg N doesn't have any milk
у Ng молокћn пропђло N's milk has dried up

Other expressions

лќфчик; бюстгђльтер Formal bra; brassiere
Јтот лќфчик хорошћ дљржит грџдь. This bra gives good support to your breasts.
обрисћвываться [no Pf.]: у Ng обрисћвываются грџдиn (or обрисћвывается грџдьn) the outline of N's breasts are visible
В четІрнадцать лљт у неё, при тћнкой тђлии и стрћйных нћжках, ужљ хорошћ обрисћвывались грџди... [И. Бџнин, Лёгкое дыхђние] At the age of fourteen, her waist was thin, her legs shapely, and her breasts already full. [I. Bunin, "Light Breathing"]
щџпать/пощџпать грџдьa to examine N's breast (lit. "examine by touching")
Врђч пощџпал лљвую грџдь пациљнтки и чтћ-то записђл. The doctor examined the patient's left breast and jotted something down.
щџпать [no Pf.] Na Highly Colloquial to fondle N, N's breasts, etc.
Да Кћлька тћлько однћ умљет — дљвок щџпать! There's only one thing Kol'ka knows how to do: feel up the girls!

Sample texts

Перекќнув кћсу чљрез плечћ, онђ бІстро заплетђла её и... глядљла в зљркало, гдљ отражђлось её припџдренное лќчико, обнажённые плљчи и млѓчноголубІе, с рћзовыми соскђми, мђленькие грџди. [И. Бџнин, Мќтина любћвь] Pulling her hair over her shoulder, she quickly braided it and... looked at herself in the mirror and saw a little powdered face, bare shoulders, and small, milk-white breasts with rosy nipples. [I. Bunin "Mitya's Love"]
Ћн почџвствовал на свољй грудќ упрџгое и подђтливое прикосновљние её крљпких высћких девќческих грудљй... [А. Купрќн, Лљночка] He felt the firm but yielding pressure of her strong, high, girlish breasts against his chest... [A. Kuprin, "Lenochka"]
Графќня былђ в ширћком рћзовом капћте, с открІтой напџдренной грџдью... [И. Бџнин, Граммђтика любвќ] The countess was in a flowing pink peignoir which showed her powdered bosom... [I. Bunin, "The Grammar of Love"]
У неё бІли твёрдые, далекћ отстоїщие дрџг от дрџга грџди... [Г. Газдђнов, НочнІе дорћги] She had firm, widely-spaced breasts... [G. Gazdanov, Night Roads]