кънѧѕь

Forms

кънѧѕь (kŭnędzĭ) m, o-stem^[1] The manuscripts also write кънѧзь, кьнѧѕь and кнѧзь.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *kъnędzь (“prince”), from earlier *kъnęgъ, from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz (“king; head of a family”), borrowed early.^[3][4][1][5] The same word is Russian князь (knjazʹ), Bulgarian кнез (knez), Serbo-Croatian knêz, Slovene knéz, Czech kněz, Slovak kňaz and Polish ksiądz; in Czech, Slovak and Polish it has come to mean a priest, and the prince is named by a derivative.^[3][6][4] ESJS explains the Polish ks by dissimilation before the nasal vowel.^[3]

The Germanic word is a derivative of *kunja- (“kin, family”), and its descendants are Old High German kuning, Old English cyning and Old Norse konungr, all meaning king; Finnish kuningas (“king”) is an independent loan from the same source.^[6][7][5][8] Which Germanic language lent it is disputed: Miklosich and Leskien thought of a West Germanic source, Berneker of Gothic, and Stender-Petersen of Proto-Germanic;^[4] Kiparsky argues for the Proto-Germanic period, since Gothic lacks the word and the Slavic word is too widespread and too early for a loan from Old High German.^[4] Lithuanian kunigas (“priest”) and Latvian kungs (“lord”) also go back to Germanic, according to SP as late borrowings from German.^[3][7]

Ondruš proposed a native Proto-Slavic *kun-ingo- (“prominent”), later borrowed into Germanic.^[3][1] ESJS thinks this unlikely, as it does Kiparsky's comparison with a Russian dialect word for a roof ridge.^[3] Lvov argued from the frequent spelling without a jer after the k that the word is not an old Germanic loan.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Gospel manuscripts use it for Ancient Greek ἄρχων (árkhōn, “ruler”), as in нꙑнѣ кнѧзь мира сего ꙇзгънанъ бѫдетъ вънъ “now the prince of this world shall be cast out” (J 12, 31 Zogr Sav Ostr, кънѧѕъ Mar As).^[9] SNSP counts more than a hundred occurrences, eighty of them spelled кн- in the Codex Suprasliensis.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the canonical texts the word is any ruler or chief, for Ancient Greek ἄρχων (árkhōn), Ancient Greek ἡγεμών (hēgemṓn), Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús) and even Ancient Greek κόμης (kómēs): a ruler of the synagogue (L 8, 41), the leader of the Pharisees Nicodemus (J 3, 1) and the prince of the demons (L 11, 15).^[9][2] The Life of Constantine and the Encomium of Cyril and Methodius use it for the Slavic rulers themselves, Rostislav, Svatopluk and Kocel, and the legend of Saint Wenceslas for Wenceslas.^[9]

Giltebrandt notes that in the Church Slavonic New Testament the word never denotes a man of princely birth, as it later did in Russian, but always an official or ruler.^[10] Sedakova adds the sense “top beam of a gate” in Psalm 23, 7.^[11] In East Slavic it also came to mean the bridegroom on the wedding day.^[4][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. ruler, prince, chief; for ἄρχων, ἡγεμών, βασιλεύς.^[9][2][1]
2. A nobleman, magnate.^[2]
3. A Slavic ruler or duke.^[9][1]

Word family

• кънѧжь
• кънѧжьскъ
• кънѧжиѥ
• кънѧжениѥ

Related words

• Russian князь (knjazʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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. 393
4. ^ a b c d e Kiparsky, Valentin (1934), Die gemeinslavischen Lehnwörter aus dem Germanischen, Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae B XXXII,2, Helsinki, p. 181
5. ^ a b Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 2, 495–496
6. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 266
7. ^ a b Sławski, Franciszek; Boryś, Wiesław et al. (eds.) (1974–2024), Słownik prasłowiański, vols. I–VIII, X–XI, Wrocław: Ossolineum / Warszawa: Instytut Slawistyki PAN
8. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 258
9. ^ a b c d e Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
10. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
11. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina