Od świętej Katarzyny nie wyganiaj już żywiny
Listen
What it means
From Saint Catherine’s Day (25 November), stop driving livestock out to pasture. A farming proverb signalling that animals should be kept indoors for winter from this date.
Vocabulary
- święta — saint (feminine)
- Katarzyna — Catherine
- wyganiać — to drive out, to chase out
- żywina — livestock, cattle (archaic/regional)
Grammar note
'Nie wyganiaj' is a negative imperative. 'Żywiny' is the genitive of 'żywina', required after negation.
Cultural context
'Żywina' is an archaic or regional word for livestock. Saint Catherine's Day (25 November) marked the end of the outdoor grazing season in traditional Polish farming.
Intermediate
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …