доухъ

Forms

доухъ (duxŭ) m, o-stem^[1]; Glagolitic ⰴⱆⱈⱏ^[1] In the manuscripts usually abbreviated under a titlo, дх҃ъ.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *duxъ (“breath, spirit”), a word with reflexes in every branch of Slavic.^[4][1][5] The same word is Russian дух (dux), Bulgarian дух (duh), Serbo-Croatian dȕh, Slovene dȗh, Czech duch and Polish duch, which mean spirit and breath, and in several of these languages also smell.^[4][5][6] Another grade of the same root is seen in the verb that Vasmer reconstructs as Proto-Slavic *dъxnǫti (“to breathe”).^[5]

The Proto-Slavic noun continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *dausas, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰews-, a variant of *dʰwes-.^[1] Its closest relative is Lithuanian daũsos (“air, breath”).^[4][1][5] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller set up a root with several ablaut grades and add dúsas (“vapour, sigh”), dvėsti (“to breathe, to give up the ghost”) and dvasià (“breath, spirit”).^[7] Derksen notes that the root shape *dʰous- is found only in Balto-Slavic, while elsewhere, and in Balto-Slavic too, full grades of the type *dʰues- or *dʰuos- occur.^[4] Outside Balto-Slavic the comparison includes Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍃 (dius, “wild animal”) and Old High German tior (“animal”), from Proto-Germanic *deuzą, and Vasmer also cites Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”) and Ancient Greek θέειον (théeion, “sulphur”), though Hofmann explains the Greek word otherwise.^[4][1][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts the word translates Ancient Greek πνεῦμα (pneûma, “spirit, breath”), as in the Sermon on the Mount, блажени ништии доухомь “blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mt 5, 3, Codex Zographensis, Assemanianus and Savvina kniga), and in the garden of Gethsemane, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26, 41, Zographensis, Marianus, Assemanianus, Savvina kniga and Ostromir Gospel).^[2][3] The SNSP counts more than 500 occurrences in the oldest manuscripts.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Besides the spirit of a person, which leaves the body at death (испоусти доухъ, Mt 27, 50), the canonical texts use the word for breath, rendering Ancient Greek πνοή (pnoḗ), and for a gust of wind, as in доухомь боурьнъмь “with a stormy wind” (Ps 47, 8, Psalterium Sinaiticum).^[3][2] In the plural it names incorporeal beings, both the heavenly powers (“all ye spirits, bless the Lord”, Dn 3, 65) and demons, for Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn), as in на доусѣхъ нечистꙑхъ “over unclean spirits” (Mt 10, 1).^[2] With свѧтꙑи it is the Holy Spirit, and the phrase без доуха “breathless” renders Ancient Greek ἄπνους (ápnous) in the Codex Suprasliensis.^[2][8] In the Euchologium Sinaiticum it also renders λόγος, τάγμα and δαίμων beside πνεῦμα.^[9]

Later Church Slavonic kept these senses: Giltebrandt lists the unclean, evil and dumb spirits of the Gospels and the доухъ пытливъ “spirit of divination”, and Sedakova notes that in the sense of the Spirit of God the word is always written under a titlo.^[10][11]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses доухъ for πνεῦμα and δαίμων.^[9]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for πνεῦμα.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt records every New Testament use of the word in Church Slavonic.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. spirit, the vital principle or soul of a person; for πνεῦμα, ψυχή.^[3][2][1]
2. An incorporeal being, a heavenly spirit, or an evil spirit, demon; for πνεῦμα, δαίμων.^[2][1]
3. (with свѧтꙑи) The Holy Spirit.^[2]
4. breath, breathing; for πνοή, πνεῦμα.^[3][2][1]
5. A breeze, wind; for πνοή, πνεῦμα.^[3][2]

Word family

• доуховьнъ
• доуховьникъ
• доухоборьць
• въздоухъ
• доухати

Related words

• доуша
• дъхъ
• дꙑхати
• дꙑханиѥ
• въздꙑхати
• издꙑхати
• Russian дух (dux)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
4. ^ 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, p. 124
5. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 556
6. ^ Trubačev, Oleg N.; Žuravlev, Anatolij F.; Varbot, Žanna Ž. (eds.) (1974–2021), Ètimologičeskij slovar' slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, vols. 1–42, Moskva: Nauka, p. 5, 153
7. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 231
8. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
9. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
10. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
11. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina