небо

Forms

небо (nebo) n, s-stem^[1]; Glagolitic ⱀⰵⰱⱁ^[1] Genitive небесе, rarely неба.^[2][3] Usually abbreviated under a titlo, нб҃о, нб҃се.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *nebo (“sky, heaven”), an s-stem.^[1][3][5] The same word is Russian небо (nebo), Bulgarian небе (nebe), Serbo-Croatian nȅbo, Czech nebe, Polish niebo and Upper Sorbian njebjo.^[3][5][6]

It continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *nébas (“cloud, sky”), from Proto-Indo-European *nébʰos (“cloud”).^[1][3] The Indo-European neuter s-stem is also Ancient Greek νέφος (néphos, “cloud, mass of clouds”), Avestan nabah- (“airspace, sky”) and Hittite nēpiš (“sky”).^[3][5][7] In Baltic the word is Lithuanian debesìs (“cloud”) and Latvian debess (“sky, cloud”), whose d- Vasmer, after Meillet, takes from the influence of dangùs (“sky”) or of some other term.^[3][5] With an l-suffix the same root gives νεφέλη (nephélē, “cloud”), Latin nebula (“mist”) and Old High German nebul (“fog”).^[5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts the word translates Ancient Greek οὐρανός (ouranós, “sky, heaven”), as in the Lord's Prayer, да бѫдетъ волꙗ твоꙗ ꙗко на небеси и на земли “thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth” (Mt 6, 10, Codex Zographensis, Marianus, Assemanianus, Savvina kniga and Ostromir Gospel).^[8] The SNSP counts more than 500 occurrences in the oldest manuscripts.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The canonical texts use the word for the sky as a part of the universe, paired with the earth (небо и землꙗ), and in the plural небеса for the Greek plural οἱ οὐρανοί.^[8][4] It also renders τὰ οὐράνια and τὰ ὕψιστα, and съ небесе renders Ancient Greek οὐρανόθεν (ouranóthen, “from heaven”).^[4] Later Church Slavonic distinguished the airy heaven of the birds from the starry heaven and the highest heaven, the dwelling of God and the angels.^[9]

Russian небо “sky”, with the plural небеса, is a Church Slavonicism, beside the popular form нёбо, which means “palate”.^[5][3]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses небо for οὐρανός and οὐράνιος.^[10]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt records every New Testament use of the word in Church Slavonic.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. The sky, the heavens as a part of the universe; for οὐρανός, οἱ οὐρανοί.^[8][4][1]
2. heaven, the dwelling of God and the angels; for οὐρανός, τὰ οὐράνια.^[4][9][1]

Word family

• небесьнъ
• небесьскъ

Related words

• Russian небо (nebo)

Usage notes

A rare homograph небо is a conjunction meaning “for, because”, which renders Ancient Greek γάρ (gár) and is recorded in the Freising Fragments and a few later texts.^[8][12][2] It is the negation не with the particle бо, and has nothing to do with the noun.^[13][7] Vasmer mentions it beside the longer небонъ.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
3. ^ a b c d e f g Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 347
4. ^ a b c d e f 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 d e f Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 53
6. ^ Trubačev, Oleg N.; Žuravlev, Anatolij F.; Varbot, Žanna Ž. (eds.) (1974–2021), Ètimologičeskij slovar' slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, vols. 1–42, Moskva: Nauka, p. 24, 101
7. ^ a b c Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 274
8. ^ a b c d 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 D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
10. ^ SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
11. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
12. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 63
13. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 216
14. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 518