Etymologically
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милость

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Forms

милость (milostĭ) f, i-stem[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *milostь (“mercy”), formed from *milъ (“dear, kind”) with the suffix *-ostь;[1][2][3] OCS has the adjective as милъ, which in OCS came to mean “pitiable”, “deserving mercy”.[1][2][3] The same word is Russian милость (mílostʹ), Ukrainian милість (mylistʹ), Bulgarian милост (mílost), Macedonian милост (milost), Serbo-Croatian mȉlōst, Czech milost, Slovak milosť and Polish miłość.[1] Wiktionary compares Lithuanian mielastis and reconstructs Proto-Balto-Slavic *meilastis.[1]

ESJS derives the adjective from *mīlo-, from Proto-Indo-European *meiH- (“mild, kind”), with exact counterparts in Lithuanian míelas and mýlas, Latvian mīļš and Old Prussian mijls, all “dear”; the length and the acute tone of the Lithuanian word point to the laryngeal.[2][3] The same root with a t-suffix is in Latin mītis (“mild, gentle”) and Old Irish móith (“soft”), and with an n-suffix in mín (“smooth”) and Welsh mwyn (“gentle”).[2][4] Sadnik adds Lithuanian meilùs (“loving”) and susimilti (“to take pity”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels of the Codex Zographensis and the Codex Marianus it renders Ancient Greek ἔλεος (éleos, “mercy, pity”), as in милости хоштѫ • а не жрътвѣ “I want mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 12, 7), and in сътворити милость съ о‹ть›ци нашими “to show mercy to our fathers” (L 1, 72).[6][7] The SNSP counts more than 200 uses in the oldest manuscripts.[7]

Semantic evolution

Besides ἔλεος the canonical texts use it for Ancient Greek οἰκτιρμός (oiktirmós, “compassion”), Ancient Greek εὔνοια (eúnoia, “goodwill”), Ancient Greek φιλανθρωπία (philanthrōpía, “kindness”) and Ancient Greek συγγνώμη (sungnṓmē, “pardon”), so that it covers mercy, grace, favour and pardon.[6][7] The instrumental милостиѭ or съ милостиѭ means “mercifully”, for φιλανθρώπως, and без милости “mercilessly”, for ἀφειδῶς and ἀνηλεῶς, as in биѧ без милости въ своѧ прьси “beating his breast without mercy” (Supr 527, 30).[6][7]

A second sense is “alms”, for Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē) (Supr 122, 27), which the manuscripts more often render with милостꙑни: in Mt 9, 13 the Savvina kniga has милость where the Marianus and Assemanianus have милостꙑни.[6][7]

Church Slavonic passed the word on as Romanian miloste (“grace, kindness, favour”), and perhaps, as Kniezsa held, to the church term Hungarian malaszt.[2][8] In later Church Slavonic it stays the usual word for ἔλεος, often in the pairs милость и истина and милость и правьда, and also means a merciful gift.[9][10] Dyachenko records the sense “pay, wages” in the Russkaja Pravda.[11]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – милость renders ἔλεος in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[12]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for συγγνώμη.[12]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists it for ἔλεος and σπλάγχνον in the Church Slavonic New Testament.[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. mercy, pity, grace, favour; for ἔλεος, οἰκτιρμός, εὔνοια, φιλανθρωπία.[6][7][1]
  2. pardon, forgiveness; for συγγνώμη.[6][7]
  3. alms, charity; for ἐλεημοσύνη.[6][7]

Word family

  • милостивъ
  • милостивьно
  • безмилостивъ
  • прѣмилостивъ
  • мъногомилостивъ
  • милостьнъ
  • милостꙑни
  • милъ
  • миловати
  • помиловати
  • милосръдъ
  • милосръдиѥ
  • Russian милость (mílostʹ)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU
  3. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 317
  4. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 622
  5. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 268
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
  8. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
  9. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina
  10. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
  11. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
  12. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de