огнь

Forms

огнь (ognʹĭ) m, i-stem, Glagolitic ⱁⰳⱀⱐ^[1] Beside the prevailing jo-stem endings (genitive огнꙗ), the texts also have i-stem and o-stem endings (genitive огни).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *ogňь (“fire”), which Wiktionary derives from Proto-Balto-Slavic *úngnis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnís.^[1][3] The word is common to all the Slavic languages: Bulgarian огън (ógăn), Macedonian оган (ogan), Serbo-Croatian òganj, Slovene ógenj, Czech oheň, Slovak oheň, Polish ogień, Upper Sorbian woheń, Lower Sorbian wogeń, Belarusian агонь (ahónʹ), Ukrainian вогонь (vohónʹ) and Russian огонь (ogónʹ), and in several of them it also meant “fever”.^[2][3]

The original i-stem is confirmed by the certain cognates Sanskrit अग्नि (agní, “fire”), Latin ignis (“fire”) and Lithuanian ugnìs (“fire”).^[2][3][4] The different first vowels make the Indo-European form hard to reconstruct.^[2] One group of scholars, with Pokorny, Vasmer and Fraenkel, starts from a form with an initial o or e, seen directly in Sanskrit and Slavic and in Lithuanian agnus (“fiery”), and explains the Latin and Baltic vowels by sound change or by a taboo on the name of a useful but dangerous element.^[2][4] Another, with de Saussure, Meillet and Pedersen, reconstructs a form with a syllabic nasal and explains the Latin and Baltic words by dissimilation, which leaves the Slavic o harder to account for.^[2] Vasmer thought that reconstruction impossible for both Slavic and Italic, and also rejected the comparison with Sanskrit and Russian words for “coal”.^[4] Derksen follows Kortlandt: the Balto-Slavic noun had *-ngn-, which blocked Winter's law, the *un became *on before the stop, and the nasal was then lost by dissimilation.^[3][1] The form with Winter's law is in Proto-Slavic *vygъňь (“forge”), which ESJS also takes as probably related.^[3][2]

Indo-European also had a neuter noun for fire, seen in Hittite paḫḫur and Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr).^[2] Following Meillet, ESJS takes the neuter as fire the element and the masculine as fire personified, and notes that each language kept only one of these nouns for fire.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels огнь translates Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”): плѣвꙑ съжежетъ огн҄емь негасимꙑмь “he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Mt 3, 12) in the Codex Zographensis.^[5] In the same manuscripts it also means “fever”, for Ancient Greek πυρετός (puretós): тъшта же симонѣ бѣ • одръжима огн҄емь вельемь “Simon's mother-in-law was held by a great fever” (L 4, 38, Zographensis and Marianus).^[5][6] The Freising Fragments, in Latin letters, have it as ogni.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The SNSP counts more than 250 uses in the oldest manuscripts, for πῦρ, πυρά, πυρετός and Ancient Greek ἀνθρακιά (anthrakiá, “charcoal fire”), the fire in the high priest's courtyard and by the lake in John (J 18, 18, 21, 9).^[6][5] The phrases вѣчьнъ огнь “eternal fire” and бѫдѫщии огнь “the fire to come” stand for γέεννα, hell, in the Codex Suprasliensis, and огн҄емь жещи “to burn with fever” renders πυρέσσειν (Mc 1, 30).^[5][6] Figuratively it is ardour or zeal, as in огнемъ ръвениꙗ моего “by the fire of my jealousy” (So 3, 8).^[5]

Later texts add other senses: Miklosich has it for κάμινος, a furnace, and Dyachenko for φλόξ, flame, with the biblical огнь чуждъ, the profane fire of Leviticus.^[7][8] Giltebrandt lists it in the New Testament for πῦρ, πυρετός, ἀνθρακιά and πυρά, a pyre.^[9]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses огнь for πῦρ.^[10]
• 14th century – a Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it, beside пламꙑ, for πυρετός.^[10]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for πῦρ, πυρετός, ἀνθρακιά and πυρά.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. fire; for πῦρ, πυρά.^[5][6][1]
2. A charcoal fire, live coals; for ἀνθρακιά.^[6][9]
3. (figurative) ardour, zeal.^[5]
4. In вѣчьнъ огнь, бѫдѫщии огнь: hell, gehenna; for γέεννα.^[5][6]
5. fever; for πυρετός.^[5][6]

Word family

• огньнъ

Related words

• Russian огонь (ogónʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 574
3. ^ a b c d e f Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 364
4. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 118–119
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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
7. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
8. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
9. ^ a b c Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
10. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de