дѣвица

Forms

дѣвица (děvica) f, a-stem, Glagolitic ⰴⱑⰲⰹⱌⰰ^[1] The Freising Fragments, written in Latin letters, have it as deuuiz.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *děvica (“girl, maiden”), formed from Proto-Slavic *děva with the suffix *-ica;^[1][3][4] OCS has the base as дѣва.^[1][3][4] The same word is Russian девица (devíca), now obsolete, Polish dziewica (“virgin, maiden”), Serbo-Croatian djèvica (“girl, maiden, virgin”), Slovene dẹvíca (“maiden, virgin”), Bulgarian девица (devíca) and Macedonian девица (dévica).^[4][1]

ESJS explains the base noun as an old adjective with the suffix *-va, and with most etymologists derives it from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck, suckle”), the root of Latin fēmina (“woman”), Ancient Greek θῆλυς (thêlus, “female”), Ancient Greek θηλή (thēlḗ, “nipple”), Old Irish dínu (“lamb”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (daddjan, “to suckle”), Latvian dēt (“to suck at the breast”) and OCS доити (“to suckle”).^[3][5][6][1] The word is related in the same way to дѣти and дѣтѧ.^[6][5] Some take the first meaning as active, “the woman who suckles”, others as passive, “the female suckling”, a view Trubachev's ESSJa rejects because there is no male counterpart; the change from a nursing woman to a virgin has been put down to the move from pagan to Christian ideas of a bride.^[3][6] Machek derived the word instead from a compound meaning “longing for children”, and Gregor from Proto-Indo-European *dei- (“to shine”).^[3] Jagić rejected Rozwadowski's comparison of the Slavic word with Sanskrit देवी (devī́, “goddess”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the oldest Gospel manuscripts, the Codex Zographensis, Marianus and Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga, it renders Ancient Greek κοράσιον (korásion, “little girl”) in the story of Jairus' daughter: не оумрѣтъ бо дѣвица нъ съпитъ “for the girl has not died but is asleep” (Mt 9, 24).^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

The canonical texts use it in two senses: a girl or young woman, for κοράσιον, Ancient Greek κόρη (kórē), Ancient Greek νεᾶνις (neânis) and ἡ Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs), and a virgin, for Ancient Greek παρθένος (parthénos).^[7][8] In the second sense it shares the Virgin Mary with дѣва: in L 1, 27 the Ostromir Gospel has дѣвици where the Zographensis, Marianus and Assemanianus have дѣвѣ, and the Euchologium Sinaiticum speaks of Christ вьпльщьшиимь сѧ отъ мариѩ дѣвицѧ “incarnate of the Virgin Mary” (Euch 52b 19).^[7] SlaVaComp's lexicon of the Old Bulgarian service books gives both дѣва and дѣвица for παρθένος and νεᾶνις.^[9]

Later Church Slavonic kept both senses;^[10] Giltebrandt's New Testament dictionary lists it for κοράσιον, puella, and for ἡ παρθένος, virgo, as in the four virgin daughters of Philip (Acts 21, 9).^[10]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – дѣвица renders παρθένος in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[9]
• Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian patristic translation from the Rila monastery uses it for παρθένος.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for κοράσιον and παρθένος.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A girl, a maiden; for κοράσιον, κόρη, νεᾶνις.^[7][8][1]
2. A virgin, also of the Virgin Mary; for παρθένος.^[7][8][1]

Word family

• дѣвичь
• дѣвичьскъ

Related words

• дѣва
• приснодѣва
• дѣти
• доити
• Russian девица (devíca)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
3. ^ a b c d e 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. 105
5. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 227
6. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 491
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. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
10. ^ a b c Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg