правьдьнъ

Forms

правьдьнъ (pravĭdĭnŭ)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *pravьdьnъ (“righteous”), formed from *pravьda (“justice, truth”) (OCS правьда) with the adjective suffix *-ьnъ.^[1][2] The same word is Russian праведный (právednyj), Ukrainian праведний (právednyj), Bulgarian праведен (práveden) and Macedonian праведен (praveden).^[1][3]

The noun *pravьda is found in all the Slavic languages except Polabian.^[2] Vasmer, Vaillant and Sławski derive it directly from the adjective *pravъ (“straight, right”) (OCS правъ) with a suffix;^[2][3] ESJS thinks this less likely and follows Machek and Trubachev, who take it as a noun from the verb правити, like кривьда beside кривити.^[2][3] The adjective *pravъ first meant "straight", whence "right, correct" and "right" as opposed to "left"; it is probably older than Slavic, and is most often derived from the preposition *pro (“forward”), as in Sadnik and Aitzetmüller's *prō-wo-s and Derksen's *proH-uo-.^[2][4][5] Derksen compares the formation with Latin probus (“good, upright”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts правьдьнъ renders Ancient Greek δίκαιος (díkaios, “just, righteous”), as in the centurion's words at the cross, ч‹ловѣ›къ сь правьдьнъ бѣ “this man was righteous” (L 23, 47, Zogr Mar As Ostr).^[6] The SNSP counts more than a hundred occurrences in the oldest manuscripts.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The main sense is "just, righteous", of God, of people and of things, for δίκαιος, ἔνδικος, Ancient Greek εὐθύς (euthús) and Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthós), and for the Greek genitive τῆς δικαιοσύνης, as in праведъное слънъце “the sun of righteousness” (Cloz 14b 33).^[6][7] Used as a noun, правьдьнꙑи is "the righteous man", as in не повиненъ есмъ отъ кръве сего праведънааго “I am innocent of the blood of this just man” (Mt 27, 24, Mar As).^[7] A second sense is "true, right, proper", for Ancient Greek ἀληθινός (alēthinós) (1J 5, 20), and the SJS also gives Old High German rëht as an equivalent.^[6] In the Codex Suprasliensis it once renders ἀκριβής "exact".^[6]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses правьдьнъ for δίκαιος and ὀρθός.^[8]
• Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian translation from the Rila Monastery has it for δίκαιος beside правьдивъ and правьдьникъ.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. just, righteous; for δίκαιος, ἔνδικος, εὐθύς, ὀρθός.^[6][7][1][9]
2. (as a noun) A righteous man; for ὁ δίκαιος.^[7]
3. true, right, proper; for ἀληθινός.^[6]

Word family

• неправьдьнъ
• правьдьно

Related words

• правьда
• правъ
• правьдивъ
• правьдьникъ
• Russian праведный (právednyj)

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. 699
3. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 352
4. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 288
5. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 418
6. ^ a b c d e f Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
7. ^ a b c d e 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 SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
9. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton