вести

вести¹ to lead

Forms

вести (vesti) impf or pf (1st person singular present ведѫ)^[1]

Etymology

The verb “to lead” is inherited from Proto-Slavic *vesti (“to lead, conduct”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *westéi, from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ-.^[1][2] The *d* of the root, kept in the present, was lost before the *t* of the infinitive.^[2][3] The same word is Russian вести (vesti), Czech vést, Polish wieść and Slovene vésti.^[2][1] It is related to Lithuanian vèsti (“to lead”) and Latvian vest (“to lead, marry”), and to Old Irish fedid (“to go, bring”).^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Gospel manuscripts use it for Ancient Greek ἄγω (ágō, “to lead”) and Ancient Greek ἀπάγω (apágō, “to lead away”), above all for Jesus being led to judgement: они же поꙇмъше ꙇсоуса ведошѧ і къ каꙇѣфѣ “those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas” (Mt 26, 57, Zographensis).^[5][6] The Greek–OCS index lists it for ἄγειν in all the Gospel manuscripts.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides ἄγειν and ἀπάγειν the SJS gives it for ἀνάγειν, φέρειν, ἕλκειν and ὁδηγεῖν; the passive вести сѧ renders ἄγεσθαι, as in ведѣаше сѧ доухомь въ поустꙑнѭ “he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (L 4, 1).^[6] Its multidirectional counterpart is водити.^[1]

Later Church Slavonic kept it: Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for ἀπάγειν, ἄγειν, ἀνάγειν and φέρειν, and Dyachenko records the legal sense “to summon to court” and вести за кого “to give in marriage”.^[7][8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – it renders ἀπάγειν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[9]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it, with водити and приводити, for ἄγω.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To lead, to bring; for ἄγειν.^[6][5][1]
2. To lead away, conduct; for ἀπάγειν, ἀνάγειν.^[6][5][1]
3. (passive) To be led; for ἄγεσθαι.^[6]

Word family

• въвести
• възвести
• довести
• извести
• навести
• низъвести
• отъвести
• повести
• привести
• провести
• прѣвести
• прѣдъвести
• съвести

вести² to carry, convey

Forms

вести (vesti) impf or pf^[1]

Etymology

The verb “to carry, convey” is inherited from Proto-Slavic *vezti (“to cart, convey”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *weźtei, from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-.^[1][10] The *z* of the root, kept in the present, became *s* before the *t* of the infinitive, so that the infinitive looks like the verb for “to lead”.^[10][3] The same word is Russian везти (vezti), Czech vézt, Polish wieźć and Serbo-Croatian vèsti.^[10][1] It is related to Lithuanian vèžti (“to convey”), Latin vehō (“to carry, convey”) and Old Norse vega (“to move, lift”).^[10][11][12]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is rare in the oldest manuscripts: the Suprasliensis has it twice, as in вьсь бо пѫть на колѣхъ везомъ бѣаше “for he was carried the whole way on a cart”, for Ancient Greek κομίζω (komízō, “to carry”) (Supr 117, 23).^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

In the Acts of later manuscripts the reflexive вести сѧ means “to sail”, for πλεῖν, as in хотѧще вести сѧ въ асиискаꙗ мѣста “meaning to sail to the places of Asia” (A 27, 2).^[6] Miklosich records the passive “to be carried” in later Church Slavonic, with корабль везомь “a ship under way”.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. To carry (by cart or vehicle), convey; for κομίζειν, ἄγειν.^[6][5][1]
2. (reflexive) To travel, to sail; for πλεῖν.^[6]