Etymologically
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кръвь

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Forms

кръвь (krŭvĭ) f, genitive кръве[1][2] Also spelled крьвь (in the Zographensis, Savvina kniga and Suprasliensis) and кровь (in the Psalterium Sinaiticum, Euchologium Sinaiticum and Clozianus).[2] Derksen also records the old nominative крꙑ from the Psalter of Dimitrij.[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *kry (“blood”), genitive *krъve, a word of all the Slavic languages.[4][3][5] The same word is Russian кровь (krovʹ), Bulgarian кръв (krǎv), Serbo-Croatian krv, Slovene kri, Czech krev and Polish krew; besides blood it can mean blood kinship, and in Serbo-Croatian dialects blood revenge.[4][3][5] ESJS explains the form кръвь as the old accusative, which in most Slavic languages pushed out the nominative *kry, as with брьвь (“eyebrow”) and црькꙑ (“church”).[4]

The Proto-Slavic word continues an Indo-European word for blood and raw bloody meat: Wiktionary takes it from Proto-Balto-Slavic *krū́ˀs, from Proto-Indo-European *kréwh₂s (“blood of a wound”), and Derksen reconstructs *kruh₂-s from the root *kreuh₂-.[3][6][4] Its Baltic relatives are Lithuanian kraũjas (“blood”) and Old Prussian krawian (“blood”), which Derksen explains as derivatives with a suffix of the root noun that Slavic keeps.[3][5] Further cognates are Sanskrit क्रविस् (kravís, “raw meat”), Ancient Greek κρέας (kréas, “meat”), Latin cruor (“blood from a wound”), Old Irish crú (“blood”) and Welsh crau (“blood”), and the Germanic adjective for raw, Old Norse hrár (“raw, uncooked”).[3][5][6][4] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller compare krùvinas (“bloody”) and Latin cruentus (“bloody”).[7]

ESJS also records Lottner's and Merlingen's view that the root first meant to be or turn red, and suggests that краса may come from the same root.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels of the Codex Zographensis, Codex Marianus, Codex Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga, кръвь renders Ancient Greek αἷμα (haîma, “blood”), as at the piercing of Christ's side: ꙇ изиде вода ꙇ кръвь “and there came out water and blood” (Mt 27, 49 and J 19, 34).[1] The Greek–OCS index of the SJS counts it for αἷμα 24 times in the Zographensis, 27 times in the Marianus and 22 times in the Assemanianus.[1]

Semantic evolution

The canonical texts use the word for blood in the body and for shed blood, and in the Eucharistic words of the Gospel (L 22, 20: новꙑ завѣтъ моеѭ кръвиѭ “the new covenant in my blood”).[2][1] Set phrases translate Greek models: точениѥ кръве for ῥύσις αἵματος, the issue of blood (Mc 5, 25), кръви or кръвьмъ пролиꙗниѥ for αἱμοχυσία, bloodshed (Supr), and кръвь точѧщи for αἱμορροοῦσα, the woman with an issue of blood (Supr).[1][2] The plural follows Greek αἵματα in the Psalter's мѫжи кръвии, men of blood (Ps 58, 3 and Ps 138, 19).[1][2] Miklosich's later Church Slavonic examples add the sense slaughter or murder, for φόνος.[8]

Compounds of the later texts calque Greek words made with αἷμα, such as кръвоточица for αἱμορροοῦσα and кръвопивъ for αἱμοπότης.[4][1]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – кръвь renders αἷμα in the Euchologium Sinaiticum, and it appears in the Slavonic translation of the Historia ecclesiastica.[9]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for αἷμα.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. blood; for αἷμα.[1][2][10]
  2. (plural) bloodshed, blood-guilt; for αἵματα.[1][2]
  3. slaughter, murder; for φόνος.[8]

Word family

  • кръвьнъ
  • бескръвьнъ
  • кръвавъ
  • окръвавити
  • кръвоточениѥ
  • кръвоточица
  • кръвоточивъ
  • кръвопивъ
  • Russian кровь (krovʹ)

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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
  3. ^ 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. 254
  4. ^ 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. 377
  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, 379
  6. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  7. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 257
  8. ^ a b Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
  9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
  10. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton