десѧть

Forms

десѧть (desętĭ), i-stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *desętь (“ten”), a numeral of all the Slavic languages.^[2][3][1] The same word is Russian десять (désjatʹ), Bulgarian десет (déset), Serbo-Croatian dȅsēt, Slovene desę̑t, Czech deset and Polish dziesięć.^[2][3][1] OCS still keeps traces of an older consonant stem beside the i-stem, in the fixed phrases for the numbers from 11 to 19, for 20, 30 and 40, and for 50 to 90.^[2]

It goes back to Proto-Balto-Slavic *déśimt and the Indo-European numeral Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥t, an extension in -t- of *déḱm̥ (“ten”).^[2][1][3] Its Baltic relatives are Lithuanian dešimt, Latvian desmit and Old Prussian dessimpts;^[3][1] further off are Ancient Greek δέκα (déka), Latin decem and German zehn.^[2][3] ESJS doubts that the i-stem goes back to Proto-Indo-European, and records the view of Brückner and Erhart that the ordinal Proto-Slavic *desętъ (“tenth”) is older and the cardinal was made from it.^[2] Attempts to analyse the Indo-European numeral further, as two hands, with Hand (“hand”), or as a prefix with a word for the tips of the fingers, ESJS considers very uncertain.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts it renders Ancient Greek δέκα (déka, “ten”): сърѣте и десѧть прокаженъ мѫжъ “ten leprous men met him” (L 17, 12, Marianus and Assemanianus); the Zographensis, the Savvina kniga and the Ostromir Gospel write the numeral with the letter ꙇ҃ instead.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Used as a noun it means the ten, for Ancient Greek οἱ δέκα (hoi déka), as in ꙇ слꙑшавъше десѧть • начѧшѧ негодовати “and when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant” (Mc 10, 41), and a group of ten, for Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás).^[4][5] The numbers from 11 to 19 are phrases with на десѧте (ѥдинъ на десѧте “eleven”, дъва на десѧте “twelve”), and the tens are дъва десѧти “twenty”, три десѧти “thirty”, пѧть десѧтъ “fifty”.^[5][6]

In Russian Church Slavonic the Decapolis of the Gospels is десѧть градъ “the ten cities” (Mt 4, 25).^[7]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – it renders δέκα in liturgical translations from the western regions of the First Bulgarian Empire.^[8]
• 14th century – a Middle Bulgarian translation from Mount Athos and Tărnovo uses it for δέκα.^[8]

Meanings

Numeral

1. ten; for δέκα.^[4][5][1]
2. As a noun, a group of ten, the ten; for οἱ δέκα, δεκάς.^[4][5]

Word family

• десѧтъ
• десѧтина
• десѧтьникъ
• пѧтьдесѧтьница

Related words

• Russian десять (désjatʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 125
3. ^ a b c d e Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
5. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
7. ^ 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