жити

Forms

жити (žiti) impf^[1]

• Present живѫ, живеши.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *žiti (“to live”), and Derksen reconstructs it with accent paradigm c.^[3][1] The same word is Russian жить (žitʹ), Serbo-Croatian žívjeti, Slovene živẹ́ti, Czech žít and Polish żyć.^[3][1]

It goes back to Proto-Balto-Slavic *gīˀwetei and Proto-Indo-European *gʷíh₃weti, and is cognate with Lithuanian gyvénti (“to live”) and gýti (“to heal, recover”), Latvian dzīt (“to heal”), Old Prussian giwīt (“to live”), Sanskrit जीवति (jī́vati, “lives”) and Latin vīvō (“to live”).^[3][1][4] Derksen places the laryngeal of the root after the vowel because of end-stressed past forms in Russian.^[3] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller put the verb in one family with живъ and животъ, whose cognates include Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”) and vīvus (“alive”).^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel codices жити renders Ancient Greek ζῆν (zên, “to live”), as in ꙇ азъ живѫ о‹ть›ца ради “and I live because of the Father” (J 6, 57 Zogr Mar As Vat).^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense is to live, as the opposite of dying, and to spend one's life, for ζῆν and Ancient Greek βιοῦν (bioûn): живъши съ мѫжемь ж҃ лѣт • отъ дѣвъства своего “having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity” (L 2, 36).^[7][2] From this it also means to stay or dwell somewhere, for οἰκεῖν, κατοικεῖν, μένειν and διατρίβειν, and дльго лѣтъ жити renders μακροχρονίζειν “to live long”.^[7][2] In a few manuscripts it means to bring to life, for ζωοποιεῖν (J 6, 63 As Zogr, where other codices have живити or живлꙗти), and with the instrumental, in the Homilies of Gregory the Great, to enjoy or live off something.^[7]

Giltebrandt's dictionary of the Church Slavonic New Testament lists it for κατοικεῖν, μένειν, διατρίβειν, ζῆν, βιῶσαι, οἰκεῖν and ἀναστρέφεσθαι, as in гдѣ живеши “where are you staying?” (J 1, 38).^[8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses жити for ζῆν, οἰκεῖν, κατοικεῖν, διάγειν and πολιτεύεσθαι.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists the New Testament uses of the word in Church Slavonic.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To live, be alive, spend one's life; for ζῆν, βιοῦν.^[7][2][1]
2. To dwell, stay, spend time somewhere; for οἰκεῖν, κατοικεῖν, μένειν, διατρίβειν.^[7][2]
3. To bring to life; for ζωοποιεῖν.^[7]
4. (with the instrumental) To enjoy something, live off it.^[7]

Word family

• житиѥ
• жилище
• ожити
• пожити
• прижити
• иждити

Related words

• живъ
• животъ
• живити
• Russian жить (žitʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 57
5. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 340
6. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 51
7. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de