до

Forms

до (do), preposition with the genitive, Glagolitic ⰴⱁ^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *do (“up to, until”), a preposition of all the Slavic languages.^[3][1][4] The same word is Russian до (do), Bulgarian до (do), Serbo-Croatian dȍ, Slovene dò, Czech do, Polish do and Belarusian да (da).^[3][4][5]

ESJS derives it from the Indo-European demonstrative stem Proto-Indo-European *de, which also gave the particle да.^[3][6] Its cognates are Old English tō (“to”) and Old High German zuo (“to”), from Proto-Germanic *tō, Ancient Greek οἶκόνδε (oíkonde, “homewards”) and Latin endo (“in”).^[3][5][6][1] Derksen and ESJS also connect Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “within”).^[4][3] Latvian da (“up to”) and the dialectal prefix Lithuanian da- are cognates for Fick and Fraenkel and for Vasmer, but may be borrowings from Slavic.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts it renders Ancient Greek ἕως (héōs) and Ancient Greek μέχρι (mékhri), наченъ отъ послѣдьниихъ до пръвꙑихъ “beginning from the last to the first” (Mt 20, 8 Mar As Sav Ostr).^[7][2] SNSP counts more than four hundred occurrences.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The SJS's first and main sense is the limit reached by a movement or action in space or time, “up to, as far as, until”, for ἕως, μέχρι and Ancient Greek ἄχρι (ákhri), and the end of a series of numbers, places or ranks.^[7] Rarely it means “against” a person, for Ancient Greek κατά (katá) with the genitive, and with numerals “about, approximately”, as in до триі на десѧте “about thirteen” (Supr 18, 8).^[7] ESJS finds the same senses in the modern Slavic languages: the limit everywhere, “into” in Slovak, Czech, Sorbian, Polish and archaic Serbo-Croatian, and the approximate number in Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian and others.^[3]

Meanings

Preposition

1. With the genitive: up to, as far as, until; for ἕως, μέχρι, ἄχρι.^[7][2][1]
2. With the genitive: against, towards (a person); for κατά, πρός.^[7]
3. With a numeral: about, approximately.^[7]

Word family

• дожи

Related words

• да (da)
• Russian до (do)

Usage notes

ESJS treats a particle до of the same origin as a separate word.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU
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. 109
5. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 519
6. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 225
7. ^ a b c d e f Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org