блаженъ

Forms

блаженъ (blaženŭ) (comparative блаженѣи); Glagolitic ⰱⰾⰰⰶⰵⱀⱏ^[1]

Etymology

Used as an adjective, it is the past passive participle from Old Church Slavonic блажити (blažiti, “to call blessed”), which became an adjective "blessed".^[2][3] Vasmer glosses блажити as "to call blessed", literally "to make good", and Wiktionary analyses the adjective as from Old Church Slavonic благъ (blagŭ) + -ьнъ (-ĭnŭ).^[4][1] Благъ "good" is inherited from Proto-Slavic *bolgъ.^[2][1]

Russian блаженный (blažennyj) is a Church Slavonic loan, beside the native болого (bologo).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels блаженъ translates Ancient Greek μακάριος (makários, “blessed, happy”), as in the Beatitudes, блажени ништиі д‹оу›хомь • ѣко тѣхъ естъ ц‹ѣса›р‹ь›с‹тв›о н‹е›б‹есь›ское "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5, 3), in the Codex Zographensis, the Codex Assemanianus and the Ostromir Gospel; at L 7, 23 the Codex Zographensis writes блажьнъ and the Codex Marianus блаженъ.^[5] The SNSP counts more than 300 uses.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides "happy, blessed", the SJS gives "beatific, pleasant", for μακάριος and ἀγαθός (блаженъіи богъ "the good God", Supr 109, 21), and "venerable, saint", for ἅγιος, μακαριστός and εὐλαβής.^[5] In that last sense it is very often a title of emperors and bishops and of saints, as in блаженъіи їѡна "the blessed Jonah" (Supr 259, 5) and бл҃жнаго философа костѧнтина "the blessed philosopher Constantine" in the Life of Methodius.^[5] The abstract nouns блаженьство and блажениѥ "bliss, beatitude" are formed from it.^[2][1]

Giltebrandt glosses the Church Slavonic New Testament word as "prosperous, happy", from the Beatitudes (Mt 5, 3–11) on.^[7]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum renders μακάριος by блаженъ.^[8]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for μακάριος and μακαριστός.^[8]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists every New Testament use of the word in Church Slavonic.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. blessed, happy, blissful; for μακάριος, εὐλογητός.^[5][6][1]
2. beatific, pleasant; for μακάριος, ἀγαθός.^[5][1]
3. venerable, saint; a title of emperors, bishops and saints; for ἅγιος, μακαριστός.^[5][6][1]

Word family

• блаженьство
• блажениѥ

Related words

• блаженикъ
• блажити
• облаженикъ
• благъ

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 64
3. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
4. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 171
5. ^ 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
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b 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