Etymologically
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рабъ

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Forms

рабъ (rabŭ) m, o-stem;[1] Glagolitic ⱃⰰⰱⱏ[1] Also робъ (once in the Codex Zographensis, 28 times in the Codex Suprasliensis).[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *orbъ (“servant, slave”), which gave forms in ra- in South Slavic and in ro- in East and West Slavic.[4][5][1] The same word is Bulgarian раб (rab), Macedonian раб (rab), Serbo-Croatian rȁb, Old East Slavic робъ (robŭ) and Czech rob, meaning "slave, serf, servant" and in derivatives also "descendant, heir".[3][5][1] Beside them stand South Slavic forms in o, Bulgarian роб (rob), Macedonian роб (rob), Serbo-Croatian rob and Slovene rob, matching OCS робъ;[3] ESJS calls their explanation disputed: some take them as borrowings from the north, perhaps through the slave trade, others as a dialect variant.[3] Derksen holds they must be borrowings from West or East Slavic, and Vasmer, after Nahtigal, from the Danube region.[5][4]

The Proto-Slavic word is usually compared with Latin orbus (“orphaned, bereft”), Old Armenian որբ (orb, “orphan”), Sanskrit अर्भ (árbha, “small; child”), Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “orphaned”), Old Irish orbe (“inheritance”), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌾𐌰 (arbja, “heir”), 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌹 (arbi, “inheritance”) and Old High German erbi, which points to Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos (“orphan”), from which come both "heir" and "slave, servant".[3][1][4][6] Vasmer reports Janko's explanation that orphans did the heaviest work of a household.[4] Derksen, against the ESSJa, finds a link with 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (arbaiþs, “labour”) highly plausible.[5][1] ESJS calls a link with Hittite harp- (“to separate”) uncertain, and records Machek's derivation from a form with ro- and comparison with labor (“work”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels of the Codex Zographensis and the Codex Marianus рабъ translates Ancient Greek δοῦλος (doûlos, “slave”) and Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs, “servant, boy”): никотерꙑ же рабъ • не можетъ дьвама г‹осподи›нома работати "no servant can serve two masters" (L 16, 13 Zogr Mar As Sav).[2][7] The Zographensis has the form робъ once (J 15, 15), the Suprasliensis 28 times beside the more frequent рабъ.[2][5] The Euchologium Sinaiticum uses it for Ancient Greek οἰκέτης (oikétēs, “household slave”).[7]

Semantic evolution

The SJS distinguishes the slave, serf or subject (δοῦλος, οἰκέτης) from the servant (παῖς, δοῦλος, Ancient Greek θεράπων (therápōn)).[7][2] Figuratively рабъ божии is "servant of God" (δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ), as in Simeon's нꙑн҄ѣ поустиши раба твоего владꙑко "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart" (L 2, 29).[7][2] In texts of western origin, the Freising Fragments among them, божии рабъ means a cleric or priest.[7][3] The papal title рабъ рабомъ божиимъ renders Latin servus servorum Dei.[7] From Church Slavonic the word passed into Old East Slavic and Ukrainian раб and into Romanian;[3][8][4] Russian раб is a Church Slavonicism, the native form being робъ, seen in ребёнок.[3][8][4]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – рабъ renders δοῦλος, οἰκέτης and θεράπων in the Euchologium.[9]
  • 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for δοῦλος.[9]
  • 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses, for δοῦλος, παῖς and οἰκέτης.[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A slave, bondman, serf, subject; for δοῦλος, οἰκέτης.[7][2][1]
  2. A servant; for παῖς, δοῦλος, θεράπων.[7][2][1]
  3. рабъ божии: a servant of God; in western texts a cleric, priest.[7][3]

Word family

  • порабощати
  • поработати
  • поработити
  • раба
  • рабии
  • рабьскъ
  • работа
  • работаниѥ
  • работати
  • рабꙑни

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 743
  4. ^ a b c d e f Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 453
  5. ^ a b c d e Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  8. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 427
  9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
  10. ^ Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg