видѣти

Forms

видѣти (viděti) impf or pf^[1] Present виждѫ, видиши; imperative виждь.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *viděti (“to see”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *weiˀdēˀtei.^[4][1] The same verb is Russian видеть (videtʹ), Ukrainian видіти (vydity), Bulgarian видя (vidja), Serbo-Croatian vidjeti, Slovene videti, Czech vidět, Polish widzieć and Upper Sorbian widźeć.^[4][3] Vasmer takes it to have been an athematic verb at first, which explains the passive participle видомъ beside видимъ and the imperative without a thematic vowel.^[3]

It goes back to Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”) and is related to Lithuanian veizdėti (“to look”), pavydėti (“to envy”), Old Prussian widdai (“saw”), Latin videō (“to see”) and Ancient Greek εἶδον (eîdon, “I saw”).^[4][3][5][1] Another ablaut grade of the same root is in вѣдѣти (“to know”) and οἶδα (oîda, “I know”).^[3][5] Sadnik puts обида (“offence”) in the same family and thinks the recent connection of that word with бѣда probably wrong.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts it stands for Ancient Greek ὁράω (horáō), Ancient Greek βλέπω (blépō) and Ancient Greek θεωρέω (theōréō): да видѧште видѧтъ • ꙇ не оузьрѧтъ “that seeing they may see and not perceive” (Mc 4, 12, Zogr Mar).^[6] The SNSP counts more than 1,500 examples, and the verb is both perfective and imperfective.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Besides seeing with the eyes, the canonical texts use it for noticing and recognizing, as in въ очесе своемь брьвъна не видиши “you do not see the beam in your own eye” (Mt 7, 3, Sav Vat), and the present passive participle видимъ means “visible”, невидимъ “invisible”, for ὁρατός and ἀόρατος.^[2] The SJS also lists it for θεᾶσθαι, σκοπεῖν and φαίνεσθαι.^[6] Miklosich records the reflexive видѣти сѧ “to seem”.^[7] Dyachenko notes that in the biblical books it often means to know fully, as in J 1, 18, and that it is said of God in human terms.^[8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses видѣти for ὁρᾶν, βλέπειν and καθορᾶν.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists it in the Church Slavonic New Testament for ἰδεῖν, βλέπειν, ὁρᾶν, θεωρεῖν and εὑρίσκειν.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To see, to look at, to behold; for ὁρᾶν, βλέπειν, θεωρεῖν.^[6][2][1]
2. To notice, to recognize, to come to know.^[2][1]
3. To understand, to contemplate.^[1]
4. (reflexive) To seem, to appear.^[7]

Word family

• видимъ
• видѣние
• възненавидѣти
• завидѣти
• навидѣти
• невидимъ
• ненавидѣти
• ненависть
• провидѣти
• съвидѣти
• оувидѣти
• боговидьць
• ненавидѣниѥ
• ненавистиѥ
• ненавистьникъ

Related words

• видъ
• видьць
• вѣдѣти

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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, 312
4. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 521
5. ^ a b c Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 330
6. ^ a b c Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
7. ^ a b Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
8. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
9. ^ SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
10. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg