законъ

Forms

законъ (zakonŭ) m, o-stem, Glagolitic ⰸⰰⰽⱁⱀⱏ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *zakonъ (“custom, law”), formed with *za- from *konъ (“beginning, end”).^[1][2] The same word is Russian закон (zakon), Bulgarian закон (zakon), Serbo-Croatian zákon, Slovene zákon, Czech zákon and Polish zakon.^[1][2] In some of them it took other senses: Serbo-Croatian also “custom, faith”, Polish also “covenant, monastic order”, and Ukrainian закін (zakin, “confession, communion”).^[2] It is the source of Byzantine Greek ζάκανον (zákanon), borrowed from Bulgarian.^[2]

The base *konъ survives in Old East Slavic конъ (konŭ, “end, limit”) and Serbo-Croatian kȍn (“beginning, end”), and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kon-o-, from the root *ken- of Ancient Greek καινός (kainós, “new”) and Latin recēns (“fresh, recent”).^[3][1] Vasmer connects it with искони “from the beginning” and with the verb начѧти “to begin”, and takes “beginning, principle” as the first meaning.^[2][1] Others have thought of “restriction” (Melnychuk), “testament, contract” (Vinogradov) or “custom, convention” (Georgiev); the legal sense probably came with the spread of law among the Slavs, perhaps as a calque of Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos) or Latin prīncipium.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it is the regular word for Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos), the Law: мꙑ законъ ꙇмамъ • ꙇ по законоу нашемоу длъжьнъ естъ оумьрѣти “we have a law, and by our law he ought to die” (J 19, 7), in the Zographensis, the Marianus, the Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga.^[4] SNSP counts it more than two hundred times in the oldest manuscripts.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Besides νόμος, the canonical texts use it for Ancient Greek θέσπισμα (théspisma, “decree”), ἐντολή (entolḗ, “commandment”), θεσμός (thesmós) and κανών (kanṓn), for the laws of rulers and for the law of God.^[5][4] Several set phrases render Greek compounds: законъ дати or законъ положити for Ancient Greek νομοθετεῖν (nomotheteîn, “to legislate”), законъ съхранити for νομοφυλακεῖν (nomophulakeîn) and законъ прѣстѫпати for παρανομεῖν (paranomeîn, “to transgress the law”).^[4] In the Nicodemus Gospel кꙑимь закономь means “in what way”, rendering Latin ordo and modus.^[5]

In later Church Slavonic Giltebrandt distinguishes law in general, the Law of Moses and the law of Christ.^[6]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium translation uses законъ for νόμος.^[7]
• 14th century – the Athonite Serbian translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for νόμος.^[7]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt distinguishes its New Testament senses.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. law, ordinance, order, also the Law of Moses; for νόμος, θέσπισμα, ἐντολή.^[5][4][1]
2. A manner or form of doing something; for Latin ordo, modus.^[5]

Word family

• законьнъ
• законьникъ
• безаконьнъ
• безакониѥ
• законопрѣстѫпьникъ

Related words

• конъ
• Russian закон (zakon)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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, 75
3. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e 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
5. ^ a b c d Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
6. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
7. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de