Etymology and origin of the Old Church Slavonic word прити
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Inherited
- First attested
- Codex Zographensis and Codex Marianus (Gospels)
- Inherited from
- Proto-Slavic *prijьti
- Ultimate origin
- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey-
Forms
прити (priti) pf[1] Also spelled приити.[2][3]
Etymology
It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *prijьti (“to approach; to arrive, come”), from the prefix *pri- and *jьti (“to go”); in OCS it is при + ити.[1] The same verb is Russian прийти (prijti), Ukrainian прийти (pryjty), Serbo-Croatian prȋći, Czech přijít, Slovak prísť and Polish przyjść.[1]
The preposition and prefix *pri has an exact counterpart in Lithuanian prie, Latvian prie- and Old Prussian prei, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *prei;[4] ESJS thinks it most likely a form of *pre extended by -i, one of the Indo-European prepositions with p and r.[4] The verb *jьti goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”), with Lithuanian eiti (“to go”), Latin eō and Ancient Greek εἶμι (eîmi).[5][6][1][7]
Earliest recorded meaning
The verb is in the oldest Gospel manuscripts, for Ancient Greek ἔρχομαι (érkhomai) and its compounds; its imperative renders Ancient Greek δεῦρο (deûro): приди, ходи въ слѣдъ мене “come, follow me” (Mc 10, 21 Zogr Mar).[2][8]
Semantic evolution
Besides “to come, arrive”, the canonical texts use it for being present, translating Ancient Greek πάρειμι (páreimi) and παραγίγνεσθαι, and in the sense “to come to, fall into” a state.[2] The SNSP counts more than 1,800 examples, and SlaVaComp finds it in the Euchologium for ἔρχεσθαι, παραγίγνεσθαι, προσέρχεσθαι and δεῦτε.[8][9]
Timeline
- End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – прити renders ἔρχεσθαι and παραγίγνεσθαι in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[9]
- 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ἐπιχωριάζω.[9]
Meanings
Verb
- to come, to arrive; for ἔρχεσθαι, παραγίγνεσθαι, ἥκειν.[2][8][1]
- (imperative) come!; for δεῦρο, δεῦτε.[2]
- to be present; for παρεῖναι.[2][9]
- to come to something, to fall into (a state); to reach.[2][1]
Related words
- ити
- при
Usage notes
Vasmer records a different verb of the same spelling, прити “to care for”, for προνοεῖν and φροντίζειν in the Codex Suprasliensis; it belongs with Russian приять (prijatʹ) and goes back to *prijati.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
- ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 104
- ^ a b Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 711
- ^ Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 256
- ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 216
- ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 247
- ^ a b c 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
- ^ a b c d SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
- ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 369
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Прити.” Etymologically, 25 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/cu/%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.
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