абиѥ

Forms

абиѥ (abije) adv^[1] Variants: абьѥ, абие, and once in the Codex Marianus ꙗбиѥ.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *abьje (“immediately, at once”).^[1] The word is found only in Old Church Slavonic, and spread from there by the written language into some later Church Slavonic recensions, such as the Russian one.^[2][4] Its origin is unclear, and ESJS sets out three explanations.^[2]

The most common view, held by Schmidt, Pokorny, Vasmer and Sadnik, connects it with Ancient Greek ἄφαρ (áphar, “at once”) and ἄφνω (áphnō, “suddenly”) and a root Proto-Indo-European *abʰ- “quick, sudden”.^[2][5][6][1] Schmidt also added Sanskrit अह्नाय (ahnāya, “instantly”), but Pokorny and Mayrhofer doubt this and derive the Sanskrit word from the word for “day”.^[2][4] ESSJa finds the comparison with Greek shaky as well, since the Greek adverbs are case forms with their own endings, which the Slavic word does not match.^[4]

Berneker took the word as Proto-Slavic *obьje “at that time”, the preposition объ with a pronoun in the neuter accusative, with a lengthened first vowel.^[2][5] Vasmer rejects this, because the preposition is never lengthened elsewhere.^[5] Vaillant thought of a loan from a Balkan Romance language, comparing Romanian abia (“hardly”).^[2] ESJS objects that the Romanian word is late, from the second half of the 17th century, far in meaning, and generally derived from Latin ad vix (“hardly”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels абиѥ translates Ancient Greek εὐθέως (euthéōs, “immediately”) and Ancient Greek εὐθύς (euthús): она же абие оставьша мрѣжѧ • по немь ꙇдосте “and they at once left the nets and followed him” (Mt 4, 20) in the Zographensis and the Assemanianus.^[7][8] With Ancient Greek ἤδη (ḗdē, “already”) it means “already”: ꙇ тъма абие бꙑс‹тъ› “and it was already dark” (J 6, 17) in the Zographensis, Marianus and Assemanianus.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The SNSP counts more than 300 uses in the oldest manuscripts, for εὐθύς, εὐθέως, παραχρῆμα, ἤδη, αἴφνης, ἐξαίφνης, παραυτίκα, τότε, εἶτα and αὖθις.^[7] The Codex Suprasliensis often joins it with тоу, in тоу абиѥ or абиѥ тоу “right then”, for παραυτά, παραχρῆμα and εὐθύς.^[7][9] Miklosich also records абиѥ за оутра “at first light” for ἅμα πρωΐ, and абиѥ съ словомь “at the very word” for ἅμα τῷ λόγῳ.^[9]

The word lived on in Church Slavonic: Giltebrandt glosses it in the New Testament as “at once, suddenly, soon, at that very hour, already”, and Dyachenko lists it for παραχρῆμα in the Old Testament.^[10][11] Russian абие “at once” is a Church Slavonic word.^[5]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses абиѥ for παραχρῆμα, εὐθύς and αἴφνης.^[12]
• 14th century – a Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for μονονουχί.^[12]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for εὐθύς, εὐθέως, παραχρῆμα, ἐξαυτῆς and ἤδη.^[10]

Meanings

Adverb

1. immediately, at once, forthwith; for εὐθέως, εὐθύς, παραχρῆμα.^[8][7][1]
2. suddenly; for αἴφνης, ἐξαίφνης.^[8][7]
3. already, just now; for ἤδη.^[8][7]
4. Then, thereupon; for εἶτα, τότε, αὖθις.^[8][7]

Related words

• Russian абие (ábije)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 45
3. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
4. ^ a b c Trubačev, Oleg N.; Žuravlev, Anatolij F.; Varbot, Žanna Ž. (eds.) (1974–2021), Ètimologičeskij slovar' slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, vols. 1–42, Moskva: Nauka, p. 1, 51
5. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 56
6. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 211
7. ^ a b c d e f g Slovník nejstarších staroslověnských památek (digital ed., Gorazd, Slovanský ústav AV ČR, gorazd.org); cf. Cejtlin, R. M.; Večerka, R.; Blagova, É. (eds.) (1994), Staroslavjanskij slovar' (po rukopisjam X–XI vekov), Moskva: Russkij jazyk
8. ^ a b c d e f Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
9. ^ a b Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
10. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
11. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
12. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de