положити

Forms

положити (položiti) pf, present положѫ, положиши^[1][2]

Etymology

It is formed from Old Church Slavonic по- (po-) + ложити (ložiti, “to lay”), one of the many prefixed verbs of the family of лещи (“to lie down”).^[3][4] Its base continues the causative Proto-Slavic *ložiti (“to lay”), beside *legti (“to lie down”) and *ležati (“to lie”).^[5][6][7] The same verb is Russian положить (položítʹ), Serbo-Croatian polòžiti, Czech ložiti (“to lay, put”), Polish łożyć and Slovene lóžiti (“to lay, put”).^[6][8][7] ESJS notes that *ložiti occurs only with prefixes, which led Trubachev to take it as a denominative from *logъ rather than a causative.^[5]

The verb goes back to a causative Proto-Indo-European *logʰ-éye- (“to make lie, lay”) of *legʰ- (“to lie down”), and its closest match is Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan, “to lay”), with Old High German leggen and Old Norse leggja.^[6][7][8][5] ESJS warns that the causatives of both branches are productive types, so they need not be a common inheritance.^[5] The root is also in Ancient Greek λέχος (lékhos, “bed”) and Latin lectus (“bed”).^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is in all the oldest Gospel manuscripts, mostly for Ancient Greek τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put, place”), as in Peter's words д‹оу›шѫ моѭ за тѧ положѫ “I will lay down my life for you” (J 13, 37 in the Zographensis, Marianus, Assemanianus and Savvina kniga), or of the newborn Christ ꙇ повитъ і • ꙇ положи і въ ѣслехъ “and he wrapped him and laid him in the manger” (L 2, 7).^[9][1]

Semantic evolution

The SJS divides its uses into five senses: to lay, put or place, often with a preposition (на, въ, подъ, при), also of burial, for τιθέναι, κατατίθεσθαι and ἀποτίθεσθαι (L 23, 53, Supr 67, 10); to set, appoint or fix; to make someone or something into something; to consider something as something, for Latin putare; and a set of phrases with a noun.^[9] The SNSP counts more than 200 uses, for τιθέναι, ἐπιτιθέναι, ἀποτιθέναι, βάλλειν and other verbs, and gives законъ положити for νομοθετεῖν “to give a law”.^[1] Phrases calqued on the Greek include положити доушѫ “to lay down one's life”, положити рѫкѫ на “to lay hands on”, and положити на сръдьци “to take to heart”.^[9]

Later Church Slavonic kept these: Dyachenko explains положити доушѫ as “to die” (J 10, 17) and положити на небеси оуста (Ps 72, 9) as “to blaspheme God”.^[10]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – положити renders τιθέναι and καθιστάναι in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[11]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ἐναποτίθημι.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. To lay, put, place; for τιθέναι, τίθεσθαι, ἐπιτιθέναι, βάλλειν.^[9][1][2]
2. To lay to rest, bury; for τιθέναι, κατατίθεσθαι.^[9]
3. To set, appoint, fix; for τιθέναι, πήγνυσθαι.^[9][1]
4. To make (someone or something into something); for τίθεσθαι.^[9][1][2]
5. To consider (something to be something); for Latin putare.^[9]

Word family

• положениѥ

Related words

• лещи
• лежати
• полагати
• ложе
• Russian положить (položítʹ)

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 Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
3. ^ Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 408
4. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 260
5. ^ 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. 409
6. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 287
7. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
8. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 511
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
10. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
11. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de