истина

Forms

истина (istina) f, a-stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *jьstina (“truth”), formed from Proto-Slavic *jistъ (“true”) with the suffix *-ina.^[1][2] OCS has the adjective too, as истъ (“true, real”).^[2][1] The same noun is Russian и́стина (ístina), Bulgarian и́стина (ístina), Serbo-Croatian ȉstina, Slovene ȋstina and Czech jistina.^[3]

The origin of the adjective is unclear.^[2] ESJS starts from *istъ rather than *jьstъ, following Vaillant, and its nearest relative is Latvian īsts (“real, true”), which is native in Latvian and not a Slavic loan.^[2][4] Endzelīns joined both with Lithuanian áiškus (“clear”) and iščias, from a root Proto-Indo-European *ais- (“clear”), a view Trautmann and Fraenkel accepted, though Slavists hold only the Latvian link to be sure.^[2] Stang derived the Slavic and Latvian words from *eik- (“to own”), the root of Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (aigan, “to have”).^[2][5] Older comparisons with the root *es- (“to be”), and Berneker's *jьzstъ, from из and стати, meet difficulties.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels истина renders Ancient Greek ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia, “truth”): ꙇ разоумѣете ꙇстинѫ • ꙇ истина свободитъ вꙑ “and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (J 8, 32 Zogr Mar As).^[6] The oldest manuscripts have it more than three hundred times.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides truth and reality, for ἀλήθεια and τὸ ἀληθές, the word forms the adverbial phrases по истинѣ, въ истинѫ and истиноѭ “truly, indeed”, for ἀληθῶς;^[7] въ истинѫ is very frequent in the manuscript Ochr.^[7] The Suprasliensis uses it once for precision, ἀκρίβεια, and the Nomocanon as a legal term for the stolen object itself, which the SJS compares with the Old Czech legal term jistina.^[7] The Russian word и́стина (ístina) may be a loan from Church Slavonic, as Šanskij held, or a native word.^[2] In Old Polish iścina also meant capital or cash.^[3]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses истина for ἀλήθεια.^[8]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ἀλήθεια.^[8]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt glosses the New Testament и҆́стина as truth.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. truth; for ἀλήθεια, τὸ ἀληθές.^[7][6][1]
2. reality; in по истинѣ, въ истинѫ truly, indeed.^[7][1]
3. precision, exactness; for ἀκρίβεια.^[7]
4. (law) The stolen object as evidence.^[7]

Word family

• истиньнъ
• истиньно
• истиньнѣ

Related words

• истъ
• истовъ
• истота

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 254
3. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 142
4. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 215
5. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 144
6. ^ a b c 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 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
8. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
9. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg