живъ

Forms

живъ (živŭ)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *živъ (“alive”), an adjective of accent paradigm c in Derksen's reconstruction.^[1][2] The same word is Russian живой (živoj), Bulgarian жив (živ), Serbo-Croatian žȋv, Slovene žȋv, Czech živý and Polish żywy.^[2][3]

It goes back to Proto-Balto-Slavic *gīˀwás and Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (“alive”);^[1][2] Derksen writes the Balto-Slavic and Indo-European forms *gʔiwós and *gʷh₃i-u-ó-.^[1][2] The closest relatives are Lithuanian gývas (“alive”), Latvian dzîvs and Old Prussian gijwans, and further Sanskrit जीव (jīvá, “alive”), Latin vīvus (“alive”), Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”), Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌿𐍃 (qius, “alive”) and Old High German quec.^[2][3][4] Sadnik puts the verb жити (to live) and its derivatives in the same family.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is in the Zographensis, the Psalterium Sinaiticum, the Euchologium Sinaiticum, the Clozianus, the Savvina kniga and the Suprasliensis.^[5][6] It renders Ancient Greek ζάω (záō, “to live”), usually its participle ζῶν, as in the Good Samaritan, оставьше и елѣ живъ сѫщь “leaving him half dead” (L 10:30, Zogr Mar, for ἡμιθανῆ).^[7][6]

Semantic evolution

Besides the plain sense of living, the canonical texts use it for what gives life, as the водꙑ живꙑ “living water” that flows from the believer (J 7:38, for ὕδατος ζῶντος), and for God as living, as in живъ господь “the Lord lives” (Ps 17:47).^[7] Set phrases are живъ бꙑти “to live” or “to come back to life”, живъ прѣбꙑти “to stay alive” and жива творити “to give life”, for ζωοποιεῖν.^[7] Giltebrandt's Church Slavonic New Testament dictionary adds the sense of God as living without beginning or end.^[8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – живъ renders ζῆν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[9]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ζάω and ζωώδης.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for ζῶν.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. alive, living; for ζῶν.^[7][6][1]
2. life-giving, of water running; for ζῶν, τῆς ζωῆς.^[7]
3. lively.^[1]

Word family

• живити
• оживити
• животъ
• животворити

Related words

• Russian живой (živoj)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 51
4. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 340
5. ^ Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 1, 539
6. ^ a b c 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
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 Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de