Etymologically
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молитва

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Forms

молитва (molitva) f, a-stem, Glagolitic ⰿⱁⰾⰻⱅⰲⰰ[1] Also модлитва, and often abbreviated мл҃тва.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *modlitva (“prayer”), formed with the suffix *-tva from Proto-Slavic *modliti (“to pray”); within Old Church Slavonic it is молити with the suffix -тва.[1] The same word is Russian молитва (molitva), Bulgarian молитва (molitva), Serbo-Croatian molitva, Czech modlitba, Polish modlitwa and Upper Sorbian modlitwa, and Romanian molitvă is a loan from Slavic.[1]

The verb continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *mold-, related to Lithuanian mel̃sti (“to ask, implore, pray”) and maldýti (“to implore”),[5][6][7] and further to Hittite mald- (“to recite, make a vow”) and Old Saxon meldōn (“to report, tell”), from Proto-Indo-European *moldʰ-.[5][7] Wiktionary traces it to a causative *moldʰéyeti of the root *meldʰ-.[1]

The consonant cluster of the Proto-Slavic verb is unexpected: Sadnik takes the verb as a metathesis of *molditi, or with Berneker as a dissimilation, and Vasmer suggests that the metathesis came from taboo, given the religious character of the word.[6][7] Derksen notes that it must have preceded the general metathesis of liquids, and leaves the matter unclear.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel codices it means “prayer”, for Ancient Greek δέησις (déēsis, “entreaty, prayer”): оуслꙑшана бꙑстъ молитва твоѣ “thy prayer is heard” (L 1, 13 Zogr Mar As Ostr).[8] In посълашѧ молитвѫ • въ слѣдъ его “they sent an embassy after him” (L 19, 14 Zogr Mar As) it renders πρεσβεία (presbeía, “embassy”).[8][4]

Semantic evolution

The SJS gives the sense “request, entreaty”, for ἱκεσία, δέησις and πρεσβεία, and the special sense “prayer”, for προσευχή, εὐχή and ἔντευξις.[8] The SNSP adds the intercession of the saints (мол‹и›твами с‹вѧ›тꙑѩ б‹ого›р‹оди›цѧ “through the prayers of the holy Mother of God”, Euch 17b 14), and the phrases молитвѫ дѣꙗти, творити or сътворити “to pray”, for προσεύχεσθαι (тоу молитвѫ дѣаше “there he prayed”, Mc 1, 35 Zogr Mar As).[4] In the euchologion translation it also renders ἀκολουθία, a church office, and γονυκλισία, the kneeling prayer.[9]

Later Church Slavonic kept these senses: Giltebrandt lists it in the New Testament for προσευχή, δέησις, εὐχή and ἔντευξις,[10] and Dyachenko gives “request, petition” and “vow” from the Old Testament.[11]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – молитва renders προσευχή, πρεσβεία, ἔντευξις and ἀκολουθία in the Slavonic euchologion translation.[9]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists every New Testament use of the word in Church Slavonic.[10]
  • 1899 – Dyachenko records the senses “request” and “vow”.[11]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A request, entreaty, supplication; for ἱκεσία, δέησις.[8][4][1]
  2. An embassy, delegation; for πρεσβεία.[8][4]
  3. prayer; for προσευχή, εὐχή, δέησις, ἔντευξις.[8][4][1]
  4. intercession, of the saints.[4]
  5. (liturgy) A prayer of the service, an office; for ἀκολουθία, γονυκλισία.[9][4]

Word family

  • молитвовати
  • молитвьникъ
  • молитвьнъ
  • молити
  • мольба
  • молѥниѥ
  • помолити
  • оумолити
  • Russian молитва (molitva)

Usage notes

Sedakova notes that in Church Slavonic молитва can still mean “request” (λιτή) and, in the Triodion, even “envoys” (πρέσβεις), beside the usual “prayer”.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
  3. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 270
  7. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 642
  8. ^ a b c d e f Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  9. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
  10. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
  11. ^ a b D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
  12. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina