Etymologically
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пророкъ

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Forms

пророкъ (prorokŭ) m, o-stem, Glagolitic ⱂⱃⱁⱃⱁⰽⱏ[1]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek προφήτης (prophḗtēs, “prophet”) (itself from πρόφημι (próphēmi, “to foretell”)) as an old calque, made of про- “before” and -рокъ, an o-grade agent noun of the verb рещи “to say”.[2][1][3] Vasmer, after Sandfeld, and Schumann also take it as a calque of the Greek word.[3][2] ESJS thinks it less likely that the Slavic word is an independent native derivative of *-rekti, as Brückner, Skok and Schuster-Šewc held, and improbable that the model was Old High German forasago (“prophet”), as Vincenz supposed.[2]

From Church Slavonic the word spread, directly or through other Slavic languages, to Bulgarian пророк (prorók), Serbo-Croatian prórok, Slovene prórok, Czech prorok, Polish prorok and Russian пророк (prorók), and Belarusian and Ukrainian took it over from Russian;[2] Romanian prooroc too comes from Church Slavonic.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts it translates Ancient Greek προφήτης (prophḗtēs), as in сь естъ и‹соу›с‹ъ› пророкъ “this is Jesus the prophet” (Mt 21, 11 Mar Zogr Sav Ostr) and да събѫдѫтъ сѧ словеса ꙇсаꙇѩ пророка “that the words of the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled” (J 12, 38 Zogr Mar As Ostr).[4]

Semantic evolution

The word is very frequent, over 400 times in the oldest manuscripts, and often written with a title, as пр҃къ or пр҃ркъ.[5] The plural пророци also names the prophetic books of the Old Testament.[2] The phrases лъжии, лъжьнъ or лъживꙑи пророкъ translate Ancient Greek ψευδοπροφήτης (pseudoprophḗtēs, “false prophet”), as in ꙇ мъноѕи лъжии пр҃ци въстанѫтъ “and many false prophets shall arise” (Mt 24, 11 Mar).[4][5]

Later Church Slavonic kept the word, and Giltebrandt lists it for προφήτης throughout the New Testament, from Mt 1, 22 on.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A prophet; for προφήτης.[4][5][1]
  2. (plural) The prophetic books of the Old Testament.[2]
  3. (with лъжии, лъжьнъ, лъживꙑи) A false prophet; for ψευδοπροφήτης.[4][5]

Word family

  • пророчица
  • пророчьскъ
  • пророчьство
  • пророчьствовати
  • прорещи
  • рещи
  • Russian пророк (prorók)

Usage notes

Among the spellings of the word the SNSP records порокъ once in the Psalterium Sinaiticum, the same form as порокъ “blame”.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 724
  3. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 377
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg