Etymologically
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грѧсти

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Forms

грѧсти (gręsti) impf, present грѧдѫ (grędǫ), грѧдеши (grędeši)[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *gręsti (“to go”).[3][4][5] The same verb is Bulgarian грядѫ (grjadǫ́), dialectal Macedonian греде (grede), older and dialectal Serbo-Croatian grèsti, older Slovene grédem (“I go”) and dialectal Ukrainian грясти (hrjastý, “to run fast and noisily”).[3][4][5] Whether the Polish word for a trot belongs here is disputed: Sławski held it a borrowing from Middle High German.[3]

Most etymologists see in it a nasal-infix form of Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to step, to walk”) (Lottner, Berneker, Pokorny), with the closest cognates in Celtic, Old Irish in·greinn (“persecutes”).[3][6][5] Without the nasal the same root is in Latin gradior (“to step”), gradus (“step”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍃 (griþs, “step”) and perhaps Lithuanian grìdyti (“to go, to wander”).[3][6] Fraenkel instead starts from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreydʰ- (“to stride apart”), with Middle High German grit (“step”), taking the Slavic nasal vowel from an i followed by n.[3] Derksen follows this, reconstructing Proto-Balto-Slavic *gri(n)d- and Proto-Indo-European *gʰri-n-dʰ-.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it translates Ancient Greek ἔρχομαι (érkhomai, “to come, to go”): ѣко сь естъ въ ꙇстинѫ пророкъ грѧдꙙи въ миръ “that this is truly the prophet who is coming into the world” (J 6, 14 Zogr), and лазоре грѧди вънъ “Lazarus, come out” (J 11, 43 Zogr Mar As), where the Savvina kniga has иди.[2][1]

Semantic evolution

Besides “to go, to come”, for ἔρχεσθαι, Ancient Greek πορεύομαι (poreúomai) and Ancient Greek περιπατέω (peripatéō), the canonical texts use грѧсти въ слѣдъ, грѧсти по комь and послѣдь грѧсти for “to follow”, Ancient Greek ἀκολουθέω (akolouthéō), as in грѧди по мнѣ “follow me” (Mt 8, 22 Zogr Mar Sav Ostr).[2][1] The imperative renders Ancient Greek δεῦρο (deûro, “come here”) and δεῦτε (deûte).[1][7] The present participle грѧдꙑи became an adjective, “coming, future”, for Ancient Greek μέλλων (méllōn), and its neuter грѧдѫщеѥ a noun, “the future”.[1][3]

From Church Slavonic, Russian has the archaic and poetic Russian грясти (grjastí) and грядущий (grjadúščij, “coming, future”), and Ukrainian has their counterparts.[3] Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses, such as сѐ, цр҃ь тво́й грѧде́тъ тебѣ̀ кро́токъ “behold, your king comes to you, meek” (Mt 21, 5).[8]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – грѧсти renders ἔρχεσθαι, ἀπιέναι and ἀκολουθεῖν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[9]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt glosses it “to go, to follow”, for ἔρχεσθαι and ἀκολουθεῖν.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To go, to walk, to come; for ἔρχεσθαι, πορεύεσθαι, περιπατεῖν.[2][1][5]
  2. (with въ слѣдъ, по, послѣдь) To follow; for ἀκολουθεῖν.[2][1]
  3. (imperative грѧди, грѧдѣте) Come!; for δεῦρο, δεῦτε.[1][7]
  4. (present participle грѧдꙑи) Coming, future; for μέλλων.[1][3]

Word family

  • мимогрѧсти
  • огрѧсти
  • Russian грядущий (grjadúščij)

Usage notes

The SJS and the SNSP class it as imperfective, Wiktionary as perfective.[2][1][5] Other manuscripts often replace it with forms of ити or ходити: идѣахѫ for грѧдѣахѫ in the Ostromir Gospel (J 4, 30), ходи for грѧди in the Savvina kniga (J 11, 34).[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 202
  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. 188
  5. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  6. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 240
  7. ^ a b Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
  8. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
  9. ^ SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de