Etymologically
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присно

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Forms

присно (prisno)[1] Comparative приснѣѥ (prisněje).[2][3]

Etymology

It is the adverb of приснъ (“own, related by blood; constant”), inherited from Proto-Slavic *prisnъ.[4][1] ESJS takes the adjective's first meaning as “related by blood, one's own”, and notes that only in OCS did it develop the sense “eternal”, probably through “constantly near”.[4] The same adjective is Macedonian присен (prisen), Serbo-Croatian prisan (older), Slovene prísten and probably Russian присный (prísnyj), with meanings such as “kin”, “close” and “true”.[4][1]

The first part is the preposition при, but the rest is disputed.[4] The view that now prevails, because of the Slovene form, starts from Proto-Slavic *pri-istьnъ with the adjective истъ (“certain”) (Machek, Snoj); others start from Proto-Indo-European *es- (“to be”) (Miklosich), from a root meaning “to own” (Stang) or from the zero grade of the root of стати (Berneker, Preobrazhensky).[4][5] ESJS objects that none of these explains the OCS spelling without a jer, in manuscripts that keep the jers well, and takes the Slovene form as a blend with the adjective for “certain”.[4] It derives the word from *pri-sьnъ with the zero grade of the root meaning “to be”, first “being with someone”, as Brandt, Ilyinsky and Mladenov did.[4] Vasmer instead finds the derivations from “to be” and “to stand” unsatisfactory and suggests a link with Latin prīscus (“ancient”), prior (“former”) and Ancient Greek πρίν (prín, “before”), which ESJS thinks unlikely, as it does Sobolevsky's link with приѩти.[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels the adverb is found in the Codex Marianus, ѣкоже присно творѣаше имъ “as he always did for them” (Mc 15, 8), translating Ancient Greek ἀεί (aeí, “always”), where the Codex Zographensis leaves it out.[3] In the Euchologium Sinaiticum it closes the doxology, славѫ въсꙑлаемъ … с‹вѧ›тоумоу д‹оу›хоу нꙑнѣ и присно “we send up glory … to the Holy Spirit, now and always” (Euch 75b 26).[3]

Semantic evolution

In the canonical texts присно means “always, constantly”, for ἀεί, Ancient Greek διὰ παντός (dià pantós), Ancient Greek πάντοτε (pántote) and Ancient Greek ἀδιαλείπτως (adialeíptōs); the Codex Suprasliensis alone has it 32 times for ἀεί.[3][2][3] The older sense of the adjective survives in the comparative приснѣѥ “sincerely, truly”, for Ancient Greek γνησίως (gnēsíōs) (Ph 2, 20), and in приснѣѥ имѣти о комь “to be well disposed towards someone” (Supr 375, 23).[3][2]

Compounds with присно- render Greek compounds in ἀει-: приснодѣва “ever-virgin” for Ancient Greek ἀειπάρθενος (aeipárthenos), приснотекꙑ “ever-flowing” for Ancient Greek ἀέναος (aénaos).[4][3] In Russian Church Slavonic присно means “always” and the adjective присный “true” or “eternal”, and Serbian kept присно in its older language.[4] Dyachenko and Giltebrandt gloss it “always, unceasingly”, and Sedakova points to the liturgical formula ны́нѣ и̂ при́снѡ и̂ во вѣ́ки вѣкѡ́въ “now and ever and unto the ages of ages”.[6][7][8]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – присно renders ἀεί in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[9]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ἀεί.[9]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses, such as вы̀ прⷭ҇нѡ дх҃ꙋ ст҃о́мꙋ проти́витесѧ (Acts 7, 51).[7]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. always, constantly, for ever; for ἀεί, διὰ παντός, πάντοτε.[3][2][1]
  2. (comparative приснѣѥ) sincerely, truly, as one's own; for γνησίως.[3][2]

Word family

  • приснодѣва
  • приснъ
  • присность
  • Russian присно (prísno)

Usage notes

In the Psalter the Sin, Pog and Bon manuscripts have присно where Lob and Par have вꙑинѫ (Ps 94, 10), and the Codex Suprasliensis uses both words for Ancient Greek εἰς ἀεί (eis aeí).[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 716
  5. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 366
  6. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
  7. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
  8. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina
  9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de