землꙗ

Forms

землꙗ (zemlja) f, a-stem;^[1] Glagolitic ⰸⰵⰿⰾⱑ^[1] Variants in the manuscripts: земьꙗ (Savvina kniga, Suprasliensis), земѣ, земꙗ and земѧ.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *zemľa (“earth, soil; land”), with an epenthetic l from earlier *zemja.^[1][4] The same word is Russian земля (zemlja), Ukrainian земля (zemlja), Bulgarian земя (zemja), Serbo-Croatian zèmlja, Slovene zémlja, Czech země, Slovak zem, Polish ziemia and Upper Sorbian zemja.^[4][5][1]

It comes from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źémijāˀ, a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm (“earth”), and its Baltic relatives are Lithuanian žẽmė (“earth”), Latvian zeme and Old Prussian semmē, with žẽmas (“low”).^[1][4][5] Further cognates are Sanskrit क्ष (kṣá, “earth”), Avestan zā̊, Ancient Greek χθών (khthṓn, “earth”), χαμαί (khamaí, “on the ground”), Latin humus (“ground”) and Hittite tēkan (“earth”).^[1][4][5] Derksen explains that the Balto-Slavic forms are built on the accusative stem of an old hysterodynamic m-stem of the parent language.^[4] Vasmer records Brandt's view that OCS земьнъ (“earthly”), without the epenthetic l, points to an old consonant stem, and compares Old East Slavic земь (zemĭ).^[5]

On the accent, Derksen cites Illič-Svityč's suggestion that over most of the Slavic area the original paradigm was replaced under the influence of an i-stem *zemь.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels of the Codex Zographensis and the Codex Marianus землꙗ translates Ancient Greek γῆ (gê, “earth, land”), as in небо ꙇ земл҄ѣ мимо ꙇдетъ • а словеса моѣ не мимо ꙇдѫтъ "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Mt 24, 35).^[6][2] The Greek–OCS index of the SJS counts it for γῆ 78 times in the Zographensis and 85 times in the Marianus.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The SJS divides the canonical uses into three senses: the earth or world, for γῆ and Ancient Greek οἰκουμένη (oikouménē) (вьсꙗ землꙗ "the whole world"); a land, country or region, for γῆ, Ancient Greek χώρα (khṓra) and Ancient Greek πατρίς (patrís); and the ground or soil, for γῆ, Ancient Greek ἔδαφος (édaphos) and Ancient Greek ἄρουρα (ároura), as in the seeds that had not much earth (Mt 13, 5).^[2][6] The bowing до землѩ "to the ground" occurs in the Euchologium.^[2] SlaVaComp records it for γῆ and Ancient Greek χέρσος (khérsos, “dry land”) in the Euchologium and for ἄρουρα and Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod”) in a 14th-century Serbian translation of Gregory of Nyssa.^[7]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – землꙗ renders γῆ and χέρσος in the Euchologium.^[7]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for γῆ, ἄρουρα and βῶλος.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The earth, the world; for γῆ, οἰκουμένη.^[2][6][1]
2. A land, country, region; for γῆ, χώρα, πατρίς.^[2][6][1]
3. The ground, the surface of the earth; soil; for γῆ, ἔδαφος, ἄρουρα.^[2][6]

Word family

• землѥлѣганиѥ
• земльскъ

Related words

• земьнъ
• земьскъ
• Russian земля (zemlja)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
4. ^ a b c d e f Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 542
5. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 93
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de