Etymologically
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отврѣсти

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Forms

отврѣсти (otvrěsti) pf, present отврьзѫ, отврьзеши[1][2] The prefix is sometimes written отъ- (отъвръзи Mt 25, 11 Marianus).[1][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *otverzti (“to open”), formed from the prefix *otъ (“from, away”) and *verzti (“to tie, bind”).[4][3] The sense to open came from to untie, to unbind the bar of a door.[4] The simple verb with the meaning to open survives only as a relic in older Slovene, which Snoj explains by the loss of the prefix.[4] Russian отверзть (otverztʹ) survives only as a poetic word, and ESJS takes it, with отверстие (otverstije, “opening”), as a Church Slavonic loan.[3][4]

The verb *verzti is related to Lithuanian veržti (“to tie, tighten, squeeze”) and Old High German wurgen (“to strangle”), from Proto-Indo-European *uerǵʰ-.[3][5][6] Vasmer and Sadnik and Aitzetmüller add Lithuanian viržis (“rope”) and Ancient Greek ἐρχατάω (erkhatáō, “to fence in”).[6][5] Lithuanian užveržti (“to close an opening by tying”) and Latvian atvirzīt (“to untie, open”) show the same semantic path.[4]

Czech otevříti, Slovene odvrẹ́ti and Lithuanian atvérti (“to open”) have a separate source: Derksen derives them from Proto-Slavic *otverti, with the same meaning but another root.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it renders Ancient Greek ἀνοίγω (anoígō, “to open”), as in отвръзи намъ “open to us” (Mt 25, 11 Zographensis and Assemanianus, отврьзи in the Savvina kniga, отъвръзи in the Marianus), and with сѧ in гроби отвръзошѧ сѧ “the graves were opened” (Mt 27, 52 Zographensis).[1]

Semantic evolution

Besides opening a door, a mouth or the eyes, the SJS records renderings of διανοίγειν, ὑπανοίγειν and διαρρηγνύναι “to break open”, and the past participle отвръстъ used as an adjective, “open”, as in отвръстꙑимь гласомь “aloud” in the Besědy (Bes).[2] Figuratively God opens the eyes of the mind: по вѣрѣ ею отвръзе очи обѣма “according to their faith he opened the eyes of both” (Euch 33b 16).[1] In the Gospel at Mt 20, 34 the Savvina kniga and Ostr have отврѣсти (of the eyes) for ἀναβλέπειν, where other manuscripts have прозьрѣти.[2]

The imperfective is отврьзати.[4] Through Church Slavonic Russian has the bookish отверзать, отверзть and отверстый “open”.[4]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – 11th century – the early liturgical translations use отврѣсти for ἐξανοίγειν and ἀποβάλλειν.[7]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ἀναστομόω.[7]
  • Up to the early 15th century – the Serbian translation in the Rila monastery uses it for ἀνοίγω and διανοίγω.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To open (a door, the mouth, the eyes); for ἀνοίγειν, διανοίγειν.[2][1][8]
  2. (figurative) To open, to reveal.[1][3]
  3. (reflexive) To be opened, to open.[1]

Word family

  • отврьзати
  • отврьстиѥ
  • разврѣсти
  • оуврѣсти
  • Russian отверзать (otverzatʹ)

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ 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
  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. 382
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 607
  5. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 334
  6. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 298
  7. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
  8. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton