зълъ

Forms

зълъ (zŭlŭ) (comparative гор҄ии or зълѣи)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *zъlъ (“bad, evil, wicked”), an adjective of the o-stems, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źulas.^[1][2] The same word is Russian злой (zloj), Bulgarian зъл (zăl), Serbo-Croatian zȁo, Slovene zə̀ł, Czech zlý, Slovak zlý and Polish zły.^[2][3]

Outside Slavic the closest forms are Baltic: Lithuanian atžū́lus (“rude, harsh”), from the Samogitian dialects, and įžūlùs (“insolent, rude”).^[2][3][4] Derksen explains the long vowel of the Lithuanian words as a lengthened zero grade of a root ending in a laryngeal, and thinks they may belong with pažvìlti (“to bend, stoop”).^[2] Vasmer and Sadnik add Avestan zūrah- (“injustice”) and, with another ablaut grade, Lithuanian žvalùs (“nimble”), Latvian zvel̂t (“to roll, tilt”) and the Sanskrit verb for going crookedly or stumbling.^[3][4] Wiktionary traces the family, with some doubt, to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwel- (“to lie, deceive, bend”), and compares Sanskrit ह्वृ (hvṛ, “to deviate, be crooked”) and perhaps Ancient Greek φῆλος (phêlos, “deceitful”).^[1] The root has been connected with the same Sanskrit verb by Derksen too.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the oldest Gospel manuscripts зълъ renders Ancient Greek πονηρός (ponērós, “evil, wicked”): зълꙑ ч‹ловѣ›къ отъ зълааго съкровишта ꙇзноситъ зълаѣ “the evil man brings forth evil things out of the evil treasure” (Mt 12, 35) in the Zographensis, Marianus, Assemanianus and Ostromir Gospels, where the Savvina kniga has лѫкавꙑ instead.^[5] In the same Gospels, како можете добро творити зьли сѫште “how can you speak good things, being evil?” (Mt 12, 34) shows it of people.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The SNSP counts more than 300 uses in the oldest manuscripts, mostly in the Codex Suprasliensis.^[6][7] Besides πονηρός and Ancient Greek κακός (kakós) it translates a long list of Greek adjectives, among them ἄτοπος, φαῦλος, χαλεπός, σαπρός and δεινός, and the Suprasliensis speaks of зълꙑи июда, “the wretched Judas”, for ὁ ἄθλιος Ἰούδας (Supr 362, 25).^[5][6] The phrase зълъ сѧ дѣꙗти means “to be out of one's mind, to rave” and renders μαίνεσθαι in Acts and Corinthians (A 26, 25, 1C 14, 23).^[5][8] The Suprasliensis also has зълоѭ съмрьтиѭ оумрѣти, “to die an evil death”, for κακὴν κακῶς μεταλλάσσειν τὸν βίον.^[6] Its comparative is suppletive гор҄ии or regular зълѣи.^[1][8]

In the Euchologium Sinaiticum the word renders πονηρός and, together with нечистъ, ἀκάθαρτος, and later Serbian translations still use it for πονηρός beside лютъ and лѫкавъ.^[9] Miklosich records later Church Slavonic uses for “cruel” and for ἐπίβουλος “treacherous”.^[8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses зълъ for πονηρός and ἀκάθαρτος.^[9]
• Before the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian translation from the Rila monastery renders πονηρός with зълъ, лютъ, лѫкавъ and other words.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. evil, wicked, bad; for πονηρός, κακός.^[5][6][1]
2. Bad, worthless, harmful; for φαῦλος, σαπρός, χαλεπός.^[5][6]
3. wretched, miserable; for ἄθλιος.^[5]
4. In зълъ сѧ дѣꙗти: to be mad, to rave; for μαίνεσθαι.^[5][8]

Word family

• зълоба
• зълодѣи
• зъловѣрие
• зълокъзньнъ
• зълочьстьнъ

Related words

• зъль
• Russian злой (zloj)

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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, p. 551
3. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 99
4. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 337
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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
7. ^ Eckhoff, Hanne M.; Berdicevskis, Aleksandrs et al., TOROT: The Tromsø Old Russian and OCS Treebank, release 20200116, torottreebank.github.io
8. ^ a b c d Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
9. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de