Etymologically
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отьць

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Forms

отьць (otĭcĭ) m, o-stem, Glagolitic ⱁⱅⱐⱌⱐ[1] Usually abbreviated under a titlo, оц҃ь.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *otьcь (“father”).[3][1][4] The same word is Russian отец (otec), Bulgarian отец (otec), Serbo-Croatian òtac, Czech otec and Polish ojciec.[3][1][4]

The Proto-Slavic word is a derivative of *otъ (“father”): Vasmer derives it from *otьkъ, and Wiktionary takes it as an early formation with the suffix *-ьcь.[4][1] Miklosich already called отьць a diminutive of the same noun.[5] That noun is presupposed by отьнь (“paternal”) and by Russian dialect words for “father” and “male animal”.[4]

Its root is compared with Gothic 𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌰 (atta, “father”), Latin atta (“father”) and Ancient Greek ἄττα (átta, “father”), and Vasmer adds Albanian at and Hittite attaš.[6][3][4] Derksen and Vasmer call it a nursery word, widespread in children's speech, which in Slavic replaced the Indo-European word for father, Proto-Indo-European *pətḗr.[3][4] Vasmer rejects Shakhmatov's idea of a loan from Irish.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is in all the oldest manuscripts, more than 1,000 times in those the SNSP covers, usually abbreviated.[2] In the Gospels it renders Ancient Greek πατήρ (patḗr), as in the commandment чьти оц҃а ꙇ м‹ате›рь “honour your father and mother” (Mt 15, 4, Codex Zographensis and Codex Marianus).[7]

Semantic evolution

The SJS lists, besides the father of a family, the plural “parents” (Hb 11, 23), God the Father, as in прославѧтъ о‹ть›ца вашего ꙇжь естъ на н‹е›б‹есь›хъ “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5, 16), and the Father of the Trinity in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[7][2] It is a spiritual father and an honorary title of saints, monks and teachers of the Church, as in чъстънꙑи отьче “venerable father” for τίμιε πάτερ (Codex Suprasliensis), and it renders ἀββᾶς.[7][2] In the Euchologium Sinaiticum and the homilies of the Bes collection it is the head of a monastery, an abbot.[7] In the plural it means forefathers, as in оц҃і наші повѣдѣшѩ намъ “our fathers have told us” (Ps 43, 2), and especially the patriarchs of the Old Testament;[7][2] отьць божии renders θεοπάτωρ, of David.[7][2]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – отьць renders πατήρ in the Euchologium Sinaiticum and appears in a South Slavic patristic translation of the same period.[8]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for πατήρ.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. father; for πατήρ.[7][2][1]
  2. (plural) Parents.[7]
  3. (Christianity) God the Father.[7][2]
  4. A spiritual father; an honorary title of saints, monks and teachers of the Church; for πατήρ, ἀββᾶς.[7][2]
  5. The head of a monastery, abbot.[7]
  6. A forefather, ancestor; in the plural, the patriarchs; for πατήρ, προπάτωρ.[7][2]

Word family

  • отьчина
  • отьчьство
  • прѣотьць
  • отьнь

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  3. ^ a b c d Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 170
  5. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
  6. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 279
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  8. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de