рещи

Forms

рещи (rešti) impf or pf^[1] Also written решти (rešti).^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *reťi (“to say”), in Derksen's spelling *rekti.^[1][2][3] The same verb is Russian речи (rečí) (dialectal and archaic), Ukrainian ректи (rektý), Bulgarian река (reká), Serbo-Croatian rȅći, Slovene réči, Czech říci, Slovak riecť, Polish rzec and Upper Sorbian rjec, all meaning "to say".^[3][2][4] Czech and Old Russian have a weak grade of the root in the present, Czech řku.^[3] By ablaut it belongs with рокъ and рѣчь.^[3][4][5]

ESJS and Vasmer compare most often Sanskrit रचयति (racáyati, “arranges, makes”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌷𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (rahnjan, “to reckon”), German rechnen (“to count”), Tocharian A rake and Tocharian B reki (“word”), and set up an Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *rek- (“to arrange, determine”), from which the sense "to say" would have developed.^[3][4][5] Derksen too gives this root, with the Sanskrit verb and Welsh rhegi (“to curse”) as possible cognates.^[2] Vasmer also counts Lithuanian rėkti (“to shout, roar”), Latvian rèkt (“to roar, howl”), Latin raccō (“to roar (of a tiger)”) and Old Irish réimm (“shout”) as cognates, while ESJS thinks the Baltic verbs more likely of onomatopoeic origin.^[4][3][1] Vasmer finds a link with Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐍉𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wrōhjan, “to accuse”) less likely.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Gospel manuscripts use рещи for “to say”, as in вѣрѫ ѩшѧ кън҄игамъ • ꙇ словеси еже рече исоусъ “they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had said” (J 2, 22 Zogr Mar Ostr), for Greek εἶπεν.^[6] The SNSP counts more than 3,000 occurrences, mostly for Ancient Greek λέγω (légō), λαλέω (laléō) and φημί (phēmí).^[7]

Semantic evolution

Besides "to say, to speak", the canonical texts use рещи for "to order, to set", "to call, to name" (reflexive рещи сѧ “to be called, to mean”), with на for "to speak against, to accuse", and in the phrase благо рещи “to bless”, for Ancient Greek εὐλογέω (eulogéō).^[6][3] Its participles became particles: рекъше “that is, namely”, for τουτέστι (toutésti), and рекъше or рече “it is said, allegedly”.^[6][8][3] Prefixed forms are numerous: нарещи “to name”, отърещи “to answer, to refuse”, прорещи “to foretell”, and издрещи “to utter”.^[3][5]

Later Church Slavonic kept the verb: Giltebrandt lists it in the New Testament for Ancient Greek εἰπεῖν (eipeîn), φάναι (phánai) and ἐρεῖν (ereîn), and Dyachenko glosses it “to say, to promise”.^[9][10]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum renders Ancient Greek λέγω (légō) with рещи and глаголати.^[11]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí) and ἐρῶ (erô).^[11]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists every New Testament use of the verb in Church Slavonic.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To say, to speak, to tell; for λέγειν, λαλεῖν, φάναι.^[6][7][1]
2. To mention (кого, о комь); with на “to accuse”.^[6]
3. To order, to set, to appoint; for κελεύειν, προστάσσειν.^[6]
4. To call, to name; reflexive “to be called, to mean”.^[6]
5. (participle рекъше) that is, namely; for τουτέστι.^[6][8]
6. (рекъше, рече) it is said, allegedly.^[6]

Word family

• зарещи
• издрещи
• нарещи
• нарѣчие
• отъречение
• отърещи
• проречение
• прорещи
• прѣдърещи
• прѣрещи
• рѣчивъ
• оурещи
• неиздреченъ
• прѣжденареченъ

Related words

• зарокъ
• нарицание
• нарицати
• нарокъ
• оброкъ
• отрокъ
• отърицание
• порокъ
• прирокъ
• прорицание

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 433
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU
4. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 465
5. ^ a b c Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 293
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b 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 Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton
9. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
10. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
11. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de