житиѥ

Forms

житиѥ (žitije) n^[1][2]

• The spelling житьѥ is found in the Zographensis, the Euchologium Sinaiticum, the Clozianus, the Suprasliensis and the Rila fragments.^[3]
• Later Church Slavonic житїе.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from Old Church Slavonic жити (žiti) + -иѥ (-ije), from the verb “to live”;^[6][7] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller list it in the family of жити, with живъ, животъ and жилище.^[6][7] The same noun is Russian житьё (žitʹjó).^[7]

The verb is inherited from Proto-Slavic *žiti (“to live”),^[8][9] the source of Russian жить (žitʹ), Czech žít, Polish żyć and Slovene živẹ́ti.^[9][8] Wiktionary derives it through Proto-Balto-Slavic *gīˀwetei from Proto-Indo-European *gʷíh₃weti;^[8] its cognates include Lithuanian gyvénti (“to live”), gýti (“to heal”), Sanskrit जीवति (jī́vati, “lives”) and Latin vīvō (“to live”).^[9][8][7] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller add Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”) and Old Prussian giwa (“lives”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it translates Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life, livelihood”) in the story of the widow's mite: вьсе елико имѣаше въвръже, вьсе житье свое “she put in everything she had, all her living” (Mc 12, 44), where the Zographensis writes житье and the Marianus житие.^[3][1][5]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense in the canonical texts is human life, for βίος and Ancient Greek ζωή (zōḗ), and the way a life is led, for Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía), πολίτευμα and, in the Apostolos, Ancient Greek ἀναστροφή (anastrophḗ).^[1][3] The phrases житиѥ се and житиѥ нꙑнѣшьнѥѥ mean this earthly life, against the life to come.^[1][3] The SJS records three rarer senses, each in only one or two places: a dwelling, for κατοικία (Supr 531, 28), the means of living, for τροφή (Ja 2, 15), and a living creature, for ζῷον, in Habakkuk 3, 2.^[1]

Sadnik and Aitzetmüller already give the sense “biography”, and Russian borrowed житие́ from Church Slavonic for the life of a saint, beside the native житьё.^[10][7] Giltebrandt finds it in the Church Slavonic New Testament for βίος, βίωσις, ἀναστροφή, πολιτεία and παροικία, meaning life, conduct, livelihood or sojourn.^[5]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses житиѥ for βίος, ζωή, πολιτεία and κατοίκησις.^[11]
• 14th century – the Athonite Serbian translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for πολιτεία.^[11]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. life, human existence, a way of life; for βίος, ζωή, πολιτεία, ἀναστροφή.^[1][3][2]
2. A dwelling, abode; for κατοικία.^[1][3]
3. livelihood, the means of living; for βίος, τροφή.^[1][3][2]
4. A living creature, animal; for ζῷον.^[1]
5. The written life of a person, biography.^[2]

Word family

• житиискъ

Related words

• жити
• живъ
• животъ
• жизнь
• жилище
• Russian житие (žitije)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
2. ^ a b c d Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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
4. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
5. ^ a b c d Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
6. ^ a b c Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 340
7. ^ 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. 2, 57
8. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
9. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
10. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 169
11. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de