Etymologically
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из

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Forms

из (iz)[1] Also written изъ and изь;[2][3] ESJS takes the forms without a final jer as the original ones.[2][3] Before voiceless consonants it is written ис, before с, з, ц and ч often и, before р изд, and before soft н иж.[3][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *jьz (“from, out of”), a preposition and prefix of all the Slavic languages.[2][4][1] The same word is Russian из (iz), Bulgarian из (iz), Serbo-Croatian iz, Slovene iz, Czech z and Polish z.[2][4][5] In several Slavic languages, especially those where it became z, it merged with the reflex of the old preposition Proto-Slavic *sъ.[2]

It goes back to Proto-Balto-Slavic *iź, perhaps *iś with a secondary voicing in Slavic, and is the same word as Lithuanian iš (“from, out of”) (archaic and dialectal iž), Latvian iz and Old Prussian is.[4][6][1] With a different vowel it is compared with Ancient Greek ἐξ (ex) and Latin ex (“out of”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out of”);[6][4][1] Derksen calls the i- of the Balto-Slavic forms unexplained.[4] Vasmer adds Albanian ith (“behind”), which Walde and Hofmann explain otherwise.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts the preposition takes the genitive and translates Ancient Greek ἐκ (ek, “out of”), as in изъмѫ сѫчецъ из очесе твоего “let me pull the mote out of thine eye” (Mt 7, 4, Codex Zographensis, Marianus and Assemanianus).[8] The SNSP counts more than 300 occurrences in the oldest manuscripts.[3]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is movement out of something, often after verbs with the same prefix, such as изити, or with the prefix вꙑ-, and it often stands for Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outside”) instead of вънъ из.[8] It also marks the point in time from which something lasts (из отрочинꙑ “from childhood”, Mc 9, 21), the material something is made of (a cave “of stone”, Codex Suprasliensis), the means through which something happens (из оустъ младеньць “out of the mouth of babes”, Ps 8, 3), and perhaps a cause.[8] ESJS notes adverbial phrases such as издавьна “of old”, излиха “exceedingly” and изниже “from below”.[2]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. (with genitive) out of, from, of movement from inside; for ἐκ, ἀπό, παρά, ἔξω.[8][3][1]
  2. (with genitive) from, since, of time; for ἐκ.[8]
  3. (with genitive) Of, out of, of the material something is made of; for ἐκ.[8]
  4. (with genitive) Through, by means of; for ἐκ, διά.[8][2]
  5. (with genitive) Because of; for ἐκ.[8]
  • Russian из (iz)

Usage notes

The same form is the verbal prefix из- “out”, as in изити (“to go out”), and a verb with it is often followed by the preposition.[8][5] In Russian, Church Slavonic verbs with из- often stand beside native verbs with вы-, as Russian испить (ispitʹ) beside Russian выпить (vypitʹ) or Russian исполнить (ispolnitʹ) beside Russian выполнить (vypolnitʹ).[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 257
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ 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. 217
  5. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 119
  6. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 247
  7. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 120
  8. ^ 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