Etymologically
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двьрь

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Forms

двьрь (dvĭrĭ) f, i-stem[1] It is mostly used in the plural двьри, a plurale tantum.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *dvьrь (“door”), an i-stem noun found in all the Slavic languages, mostly in the plural.[2][5][1] The same word is Russian дверь (dverʹ), Bulgarian двери (dveri), Slovene dúri, Czech dveře and Polish drzwi, most of them plural.[5][4]

The Bulgarian etymological dictionary explains *dvьrь from an older *dvъrь, its vowel assimilated to the second jer, with the v kept under the influence of the ablauting o-forms of Proto-Slavic *dvorъ, OCS дворъ.[4] The word goes back to Proto-Balto-Slavic *dwírs and Proto-Indo-European *dʰwer- (Derksen: *dʰur-), and its relatives are Lithuanian dùrys, Latvian dùrvis, Ancient Greek θύρα (thúra, “door”), Latin forēs (“double door”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐍂 (daúr), Old High German turi and Sanskrit द्वार (dvā́ra).[1][5][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels of the Zographensis, the Marianus, the Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga it renders Ancient Greek θύρα (thúra), as in въниди въ клѣть твоѭ и затворь двьри твоѩ помоли сѧ “enter into your room, and having shut your door, pray” (Mt 6:6).[3][7]

Semantic evolution

Besides θύρα it renders Ancient Greek πύλη (púlē, “gate”), πυλών, θυρίς and πρόθυρον, and so names both a door and a gate;[7][3] прѣдъ двьрьми renders ἐν προθύροις “in the porch”.[7][3] Miklosich notes that the plural is by far the more frequent form.[8] Later South Slavic translations kept it for θύρα and πύλη, in the 14th-century Serbian version of Gregory of Nyssa and in a Serbian manuscript of the Rila monastery.[9] From Church Slavonic, Romanian took an archaic word for the doors of the altar, and Serbo-Croatian dveri in the same sense comes from Russian Church Slavonic.[2]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – двьрь renders θύρα in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[9]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for θύρα.[9]
  • Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian manuscript of the Rila monastery has it for πύλη.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (mostly plural) door, entrance; for θύρα, αἱ θύραι.[7][3][1]
  2. gate; for πύλη, πυλών.[7][3]

Word family

  • двьрьца
  • двьрьникъ
  • двьрьница
  • дворъ
  • Russian дверь (dverʹ)

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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
  4. ^ a b c d Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 1, 324
  5. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 232
  7. ^ a b c d e Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  8. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
  9. ^ a b c d SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de