побѣдити

Forms

побѣдити (poběditi) pf (imperfective побѣждати), Glagolitic ⱂⱁⰱⱑⰴⰻⱅⰻ^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *poběditi (“to force, compel”), a verb ESJS treats with бѣда (“distress, need”).^[2] Wiktionary analyses it as from Old Church Slavonic по- (po-) + бѣдити (běditi, “to compel, urge”).^[1] ESJS, following Němec, takes *poběditi "to force" as the older verb, from which the plain бѣдити was drawn by dropping the prefix, while other scholars hold the noun бѣда to be a derivative of the verb.^[2] From it come побѣда (“victory”), побѣдитель (“victor”) and побѣждати.^[2] Vasmer too derives Russian победа (pobeda) and победить (pobeditʹ) from the words for "distress" and "to compel".^[3] Church Slavonic gave Old Romanian pobedi (“to vanquish”).^[2]

The root of бѣдити is usually compared with Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (baidjan, “to compel”), Old High German beitten (“to urge, demand”), Ancient Greek πείθω (peíthō, “to persuade”) and Latin fīdō (“to trust”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ-.^[2][4][5][1] Derksen finds it very unlikely that the Slavic and Gothic verbs belong to different roots, and sees in the sense "persuade" another sign of *bʰoidʰ-.^[4] Wiktionary records the older view of Hirt and Meillet that this sense was borrowed from Gothic, which is now usually rejected.^[1] Whether бѣда in the sense "misery" continues the same root or a different one, related to Lithuanian bėdà (“misfortune”), is disputed.^[6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels of the Codex Marianus, the Codex Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga it renders Ancient Greek νικάω (nikáō, “to conquer”) in Christ's words нъ дръзаите азъ побѣдихъ мира "but take heart, I have overcome the world" (J 16, 33), where the Codex Zographensis writes it with a doubled syllable.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense in the canonical texts is to defeat or overcome someone, for νικάω and also τροπόω and καταγωνίζομαι, with the passive for ἡσσάομαι "to be defeated".^[8][7] The Euchologium Sinaiticum has the participle in не побѣжденъ браньми "unconquered in battles", for ἀνάλωτος.^[7] Once in the Codex Suprasliensis it keeps the older sense "to urge, compel", for προτρέπω (Supr 321, 7), and the SJS sees the same sense in the Freising Fragments.^[8][7] The SlaVaComp glossary of the early translations from the end of the 9th to the 11th century also pairs it with verbs for killing and trampling, such as θανατόω and καταπατέω.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To defeat, conquer, overcome; for νικάω, τροπόω, καταγωνίζομαι.^[8][7][1]
2. To urge, compel; for προτρέπω.^[8][7][1]

Word family

• побѣда
• побѣдитель
• побѣдьникъ
• побѣждати
• непобѣдимъ

Related words

• бѣда
• бѣдити
• оубѣдити

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 60
3. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 293
4. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 39
5. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 214
6. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 38
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. ^ 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
9. ^ SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de