mashina

Mashina (Russian: машина) is a word used in several Eurasian languages to mean machine. In Russian it is a general term for a device or engine, but it is also the common informal word for a car. In Uzbek, Tajik, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz, mashina typically denotes a machine or a vehicle, depending on context.

The term derives from Latin machina, via French machine, and was borrowed into many European languages during the early modern period. In the languages of the former Soviet Union and nearby Turkic states, mashina adopted the same core sense of both machine and vehicle.

In Russian, the word can refer to any machine, device, or engine, while for the automobile the formal term is avtomobil. In Uzbek, Tajik, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz, mashina frequently means car as well as a general machine.

The word appears in media and titles, and is used in brand names. One notable instance is Mashina Vremeni, a renowned Russian rock band whose name translates to Time Machine, illustrating how the term is embedded in culture beyond everyday speech.