мѣсто

Forms

мѣсто (město) n, o-stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *město (“place”), a word of all the Slavic languages, where it first meant a place or space set aside for something.^[2][1][3] The same word is Russian место (mesto), Bulgarian място (mjasto), Macedonian место (mesto), Serbo-Croatian mjesto, Slovene mesto, Czech místo (“place”) beside město (“town”), Slovak miesto, Polish miasto (“town”), Ukrainian місто (misto, “town”) and Upper Sorbian město.^[2][3][4] The sense “town” of the West Slavic and Ukrainian words is secondary; many scholars see in it a semantic calque of German, from Middle High German stat (“place, town”), though Bělič rejected this.^[2][4][1]

The further origin is unclear, and the word has no direct match in other Indo-European languages.^[2][3] It is usually taken as a derivative in Proto-Indo-European *-to- of a root *meit(h)-.^[2] Matzenauer, Zupitza, Pedersen, Vasmer and Machek take the root meaning “to dwell, to feed oneself”, as in Latvian mist (“to dwell, feed oneself”), Lithuanian mìsti (“to feed on”) and Lithuanian maĩstas (“food”);^[2][4][5] Berneker and Pokorny a root meaning “to fasten, fortify”, as in Lithuanian miẽtas (“stake”) and Old Norse meiðr (“beam”).^[2][4][5] Both meet difficulties with the acute tone of the root and with its vowel grade, and Derksen knows no satisfactory alternative.^[3][2] ESJS proposes a compound of the root for fastening with a form of Proto-Indo-European *st(h)ā- (“to stand”), the root of стати, so that the first sense would be “a fortified post”.^[2] Wiktionary derives it from Proto-Indo-European *moyth₂- (“to change place”) with the same suffix.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the oldest Gospel manuscripts it translates Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos): видита мѣсто • ꙇдеже лежа христосъ “see the place where Christ lay” (Mt 28, 6 Zogr Mar As Sav Ostr).^[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides a place or space, for τόπος, χώρα and χωρίον, the canonical texts use it for an inhabited place (L 10, 1), and it forms the phrases мѣсто поусто “desert, wilderness”, for ἔρημος τόπος, мѣсто прѣдьнѥѥ “place of honour”, for πρωτοκλισία (L 14, 8), and мѣсто старѣишеѥ “metropolis”.^[6][7] With a genitive, въ … мѣсто means “instead of”, for ἀντί: еда въ рꙑбꙑ мѣсто змиѭ подастъ емоу “will he give him a snake instead of a fish?” (L 11, 11).^[6][8] In the Nomocanon and the Homilies of Gregory it also means an office or post, after Latin locus.^[6][2]

Among its derivatives, въмѣстити “to contain” also means “to understand”, a semantic calque of Ancient Greek χωρέω (khōréō).^[2][6] In Old Russian мѣсто could also mean a settlement or small town, as Dyachenko notes from the chronicles.^[9]

Timeline

• 1702 – Russian местечко “small town” is recorded in Dolgorukov.^[4]
• 1705 – the sense “town” of Russian место is recorded in Kurakin.^[4]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists the New Testament uses of мѣ́сто for τόπος.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A place, space, spot; for τόπος, χώρα, χωρίον.^[6][7][1]
2. An inhabited place, locality; for τόπος.^[6]
3. With въ and the genitive: instead of; for ἀντί.^[6][8][11]
4. An office, post, position; for τόπος, Latin locus.^[6][7]

Word family

• мѣстьнъ
• безмѣстьнъ
• намѣстьникъ
• въмѣстити
• въмѣщати
• оумѣстити

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 469–470
3. ^ a b c d Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 313
4. ^ a b c d e f Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 607–608
5. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 267
6. ^ 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
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
9. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
10. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
11. ^ Swan, Oscar E. (2008), Old Church Slavic Glossary, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh; digital ed. with N. H. Reimer, Old Church Slavonic Dictionary