Etymologically
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оуслꙑшати

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Forms

оуслꙑшати (uslyšati), present оуслꙑшѫ, оуслꙑшиши, pf[1][2][3] The Psalterium Sinaiticum and the Codex Marianus also spell it with оуслъш-.[1]

Etymology

It is a perfective formed from Old Church Slavonic оу- (u-) + слꙑшати (slyšati, “to hear”).[2][3] The simple verb is inherited from Proto-Slavic *slyšati (“to hear”), from earlier *slyxěti, the source of Russian слышать (slýšatʹ), Serbo-Croatian slȉšati, Slovene slíšati, Czech slyšet and Polish słyszeć.[4][5][6]

The verb belongs with слоухъ and слоушати, which have another grade of the same root.[6] Wiktionary derives it from Proto-Indo-European *ḱléwseti (“to want to hear, to stay listening”), an s-extension of the root *ḱlew- (“to hear”).[5] The same s-extension is in Lithuanian klausýti (“to listen, to obey”), Latvian klausīt (“to hear, to obey”) and Old High German hlosēn (“to listen”), and the bare root in Ancient Greek κλέος (kléos, “fame”), Latin clueō (“to be called”) and šlovė (“honour”), the family of слово and слава.[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Gospel manuscripts use it for Ancient Greek ἀκούω (akoúō, “to hear”), as in ѣко оуслꙑша елисавьть цѣлованье маріино “when Elisabeth heard the greeting of Mary” (L 1, 41, Zogr As Sav Ostr, with оуслъша in Mar).[2] The SNSP counts more than two hundred occurrences in the oldest manuscripts.[1]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is "to hear", absolutely or with an object or a clause, for ἀκούειν, εἰσακούειν and ἐνωτίζεσθαι, whence "to hear about, to learn", as in оуслꙑша ц‹ѣса›рь ꙇродъ слоухъ ꙇс‹оусо›въ “King Herod heard of the fame of Jesus” (Mc 6, 14).[2][1] In the Codex Suprasliensis it once means "to question" a witness.[2] Of prayers it means "to hear, to grant", for Ancient Greek εἰσακούω (eisakoúō) and ἐπακούειν, as in о‹ть›че хвалѫ тебѣ въздаѭ ѣко оуслꙑша мѧ “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me” (J 11, 41).[2] It also means "to obey", for Ancient Greek ὑπακούω (hupakoúō), in the Psalter.[2]

The verb lived on in later Church Slavonic: Giltebrandt lists it in the New Testament for ἀκούειν and διακούεσθαι, and Dyachenko adds the senses "to heed" and "to learn".[8][9]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses оуслꙑшати for ἀκούειν and εἰσακούειν.[10]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa has it beside слꙑшати for ἀκούω.[10]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses in Church Slavonic.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To hear, to overhear; for ἀκούειν, ἐνωτίζεσθαι.[2][1][3]
  2. To hear about, to learn; for ἀκούειν, μανθάνειν, γιγνώσκειν.[2][1]
  3. To question someone.[2]
  4. Of a prayer, to hear, to grant; for εἰσακούειν, ἐπακούειν.[2][3]
  5. To obey; for ὑπακούειν.[2]

Word family

  • оуслꙑшаниѥ

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
  4. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 455
  5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  6. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 680
  7. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 304
  8. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
  9. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
  10. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de