Etymologically
Log in

обратити

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 04:16. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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
  • 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