Etymologically
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вѣровати

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Forms

вѣровати (věrovati) impf[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *věrovati (“to believe”), formed from Proto-Slavic *věra (“faith”) with the verbal suffix *-ovati, beside the competing verb *věriti.[1] Wiktionary notes that it is rare in West Slavic and may be a South Slavic formation, which East Slavic took from Old Church Slavonic as a higher-register word beside the descendants of the other verb.[1] It survives in Bulgarian вярвам (vjàrvam), Macedonian верува (veruva), Serbo-Croatian vjȅrovati, Russian веровать (vérovatʹ) and Ukrainian вірувати (víruvaty).[1]

The noun comes from Proto-Balto-Slavic *wēˀrāˀ and Proto-Indo-European *weh₁reh₂, from *weh₁- (“true”).[1][2] Its cognates are Latin vērus (“true”) and Old High German wāra (“treaty, loyalty, protection”).[2][3][4] Vasmer and Sadnik also compare Avestan var- (“to believe”), and Vasmer adds, as probable, Old Norse vár (“vow”) and Old Irish fír (“true”).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels вѣровати renders Ancient Greek πιστεύω (pisteúō, “to believe”): вѣроуета ли • ѣко могѫ се створити “do you believe that I can do this?” (Mt 9, 28) in the Zographensis, Marianus, Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga.[5] The Gospel manuscripts often prefer a phrase with вѣра instead: at L 8, 13 the Savvina kniga has вѣроуѭтъ, the others вѣрѫ емл҄ѭтъ “they take faith”.[6] The Freising Fragments, in Latin letters, have uueruiu ubog, “I believe in God”.[6]

Semantic evolution

The SNSP counts more than 400 uses, with the dative, with въ and the accusative, with къ and the dative, or with о and the locative.[5] The verb is both imperfective and perfective: вѣрова во нь “has believed in him” (J 7, 48).[6] Besides πιστεύειν it renders πιστοῦσθαι, πείθεσθαι and πειθαρχεῖν, rarely γινώσκειν and δοξάζειν, and не вѣровати stands for ἀπιστεῖν and ἀπειθεῖν, where some Gospel manuscripts have не ѩти вѣрꙑ or не имѣти вѣрꙑ.[5][6] The impersonal вѣровано ѥстъ means “has been entrusted”, as in вѣровано ми ѥсть еваг҄гелиѥ “the gospel has been entrusted to me” (G 2, 7), for πεπίστευμαι.[6]

In the Church Slavonic New Testament Giltebrandt also lists it for σφραγίζειν, “to seal”, and πείθειν.[7] In East Slavic the verb is a borrowing from Old Church Slavonic.[1]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses вѣровати for πιστεύειν.[8]
  • 14th century – a Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa renders πιστεύω with вѣровати, въвѣрити, оувѣрити and оувѣрꙗти.[8]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for πιστεύειν, σφραγίζειν and πείθειν.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To believe, to have faith (in), to trust; for πιστεύειν.[6][5][1]
  2. To be persuaded, to obey; for πείθεσθαι, πειθαρχεῖν.[6][5]
  3. In вѣровано ѥстъ: to be entrusted (to someone); for πιστεύεσθαι.[6]

Word family

  • оувѣровати
  • възвѣровати
  • Russian веровать (vérovatʹ)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 520
  3. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 292–293
  4. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 329
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 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