Etymologically
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аще

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Forms

аще (ašte)[1] Also spelled ѣще (Codex Marianus, Psalterium Sinaiticum) and once ꙗще (Codex Suprasliensis); ашти stands for аще би.[2] Rarely shortened to ште.[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *aťe.[1][4] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller, following Meillet, trace the Proto-Slavic form to a combination of Proto-Indo-European *āt and *ke, the second part being the same as Latin -que (“and”); the first part has an Old Indic counterpart.[4][3] According to Meillet t followed by k before a front vowel gave the same result as t followed by j in every Slavic language.[3]

Vasmer places beside it Old East Slavic аче (ače, “if”), which goes back to the closely related Proto-Slavic *ače, formed from the same parts, and the dialectal Polish jacy (“only”), with an added final i.[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The conjunction is in the oldest Gospel manuscripts, where it translates Ancient Greek εἰ (ei) and Ancient Greek ἐάν (eán): аште сꙑнъ божии еси, сълѣзи съ крьста “if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Mt 27, 40 Zogr Mar As Sav Ostr).[5]

Semantic evolution

In the canonical texts аще introduces a real condition with the indicative and an unreal one with the conditional (аште би бꙑлъ сьде, не би мои братъ оумрълъ “if you had been here, my brother would not have died”).[5] It forms the phrases аще не “unless” (ἐὰν μή, εἰ μή), аще къто “if anyone” (εἴ τις), аще ли “but if” (εἰ δέ) and аще и “even if” (εἰ καί).[5] The SNSP counts more than a thousand examples.[2] Later Church Slavonic kept it: Dyachenko gives “if”, “if only” and “when”, and, after a relative word, a generalising particle like Russian ни (иже аще “whoever”); Giltebrandt lists it for εἰ, ἐάν and ἄν, also in the sense “whether”.[6][7] Vasmer counts Russian аще as a Russian Church Slavonic word.[3]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – аще renders ἐάν, εἰ and ἄν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[8]
  • Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian translation kept at the Rila Monastery uses it for ἐάν and εἰ.[8]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for εἰ, ἐάν and ἄν.[7]

Meanings

Conjunction

  1. if (a real condition, with the indicative); for ἐάν, εἰ, ἄν.[5][2][1]
  2. if (an unreal condition, with the conditional); for εἰ.[5]
  3. whether.[1][7]
  4. when.[1][6]
  5. (after a relative word) -ever: иже аще “whoever”.[6]
  • Old East Slavic аче (ače)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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
  3. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 99
  4. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 211
  5. ^ a b c d e Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  6. ^ a b c D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
  7. ^ a b c Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
  8. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de