обратити

Forms

обратити (obratiti) pf^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *obvortiti (“to turn (around)”), formed with the prefix *ob- from *vortiti (“to turn, return”), the source of OCS вратити.^[1][2] Vasmer and Sadnik treat it in the family of вратити and врътѣти, with its imperfective обращати.^[2][3]

Proto-Slavic *vortiti is Russian воротить (vorotitʹ), Bulgarian вратя (vratja), Serbo-Croatian vrátiti, Czech vrátit and Polish wrócić.^[4][5] It goes back to Proto-Balto-Slavic *wártīˀtei and Proto-Indo-European *wortéyeti, a causative of the root *wert- (“to turn”).^[1][4] Its closest relatives are Lithuanian vartýti (“to turn over”), Latvian vā̀rtît and Sanskrit वर्तयति (vartáyati, “turns”), and further Latin vertō (“to turn”) and versti.^[4][5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it renders Ancient Greek στρέφω (stréphō), as in аще кто тѧ оударитъ въ деснѫѭ ланитѫ обрати емоу и дроугѫѭ “if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him too” (Mt 5:39 Mar, where the Zographensis has обрати сѧ).^[6][7] The figurative turning of people to God is there too: и многы сынъ израилевъ обратитъ къ господоу “and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord” (L 1:16, Zogr Mar As).^[7]

Semantic evolution

The canonical texts use it for turning something in another direction, for changing a thing into its opposite (for μεταβάλλειν), for averting or driving off, and with сѧ for turning round, turning to someone and returning (for ὑποστρέφειν).^[6][7] The sense “to convert” to the faith, for Ancient Greek ἐπιστρέφω (epistréphō), is a semantic loan from Greek according to Schumann, who cites the Suprasliensis (Supr 106, 12) and notes that the original meaning was “to turn round”.^[8][6] Later South Slavic translations, such as a Serbian manuscript of the Rila monastery, used it for στρέφω and περιβάλλω, and Giltebrandt lists it in the Church Slavonic New Testament for στρέφειν, ἐπιστρέφειν, μεθιστάναι and κλίνειν.^[9][10]

The Russian verb обратить (obratitʹ) is a borrowing from Church Slavonic, which took the place of the native оборотить (oborotitʹ).^[2]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – обратити renders στρέφεσθαι, τρέπειν and ἐπιστρέφειν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[9]
• Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian manuscript of the Rila monastery uses it for στρέφω and περιβάλλω.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for στρέφειν, ἐπιστρέφειν, μεθιστάναι and κλίνειν.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. to turn someone or something to another side or direction; for στρέφειν, ἐπιστρέφειν.^[6][7][1]
2. (figurative) to turn someone to something, to convert; for περιτρέπειν, ἐπιστρέφειν.^[6][7][1]
3. to change something into its opposite, transform; for μεταβάλλειν, μεταστρέφειν.^[6]
4. to avert, turn away, drive off; for ἐπιστρέφειν, κλίνειν.^[6]
5. (reflexive, with сѧ) to turn round, to turn to someone; to return; for στρέφεσθαι, ὑποστρέφειν.^[6][7]

Word family

• обращати
• обращениѥ

Related words

• вратити
• възвратити
• отъвратити
• развратити
• Russian обратить (obratitʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 107
3. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 333
4. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 355
6. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 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. ^ Schumann, Kurt (1958), Die griechischen Lehnbildungen und Lehnbedeutungen im Altbulgarischen, Veröffentlichungen der Abteilung für slavische Sprachen und Literaturen des Osteuropa-Instituts an der Freien Universität Berlin 16, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz
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