слово

Forms

слово (slovo) n, s-stem, Glagolitic ⱄⰾⱁⰲⱁ^[1] Genitive словесе, also словеси and слова (slovese, slovesi, slova).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *slȍvo (“word”), a neuter s-stem.^[3][1] The same word is Russian слово (slovo), Bulgarian слово (slovo), Serbo-Croatian slȍvo, Czech slovo and Polish słowo; in Serbo-Croatian it means “letter of the alphabet”, and Slovene slovọ̑ means “farewell”.^[3][1][4] Vasmer relates it by ablaut to слава and to Russian слыть (slytʹ), OCS слоути.^[4]

Wiktionary derives it from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ślawas and Proto-Indo-European *ḱléwos (“that which is heard, fame”).^[1] Derksen sets up *ḱleu-os- and compares Lithuanian šlovė (“honour, fame”), Latvian slava (“rumour, fame”), Sanskrit श्रवस् (śrávas, “fame, honour”), Ancient Greek κλέος (kléos, “fame”) and Old Irish clú (“fame, rumour”).^[3][1] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller add Latin clueō (“to be called”) and, with an extension in -s-, Lithuanian klausyti (“to listen, to obey”) and Old High German hlosēn (“to listen”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is in all the oldest manuscripts, more than 900 times in those the SNSP covers.^[2] In the Gospels it renders Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos) and Ancient Greek ῥῆμα (rhêma), as in the centurion's тъкⸯмо рци слово • ꙇ ицѣлѣетъ отрокъ мои “only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Mt 8, 8, Codex Zographensis, Codex Marianus, Savvina kniga and the Ostromir Gospel).^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Following λόγος, the word took on a wide range of senses.^[6][7] The SJS lists, besides “word, speech”, the gift of speech, a speech or sermon, a command, a name, news, a promise and teaching, and the Word, the Logos, as in ꙇскони • бѣаше слово “in the beginning was the Word” (J 1, 1, Codex Zographensis and Codex Assemanianus).^[6][2] It also means a literary work, a homily, Holy Scripture or a quotation from it, and in писменаꙗ словеса the letters of the alphabet.^[6] Schumann counts several senses as semantic loans from λόγος: “meaning” (Codex Clozianus), “account, reckoning” (Mt 25, 19, Codex Marianus), “Logos, reason” (J 1, 1) and “cause” (Mt 5, 32, Codex Zographensis and Codex Marianus); the SJS adds “manner, nature” after Greek and “thing, matter” after Hebrew.^[7][6]

In later Church Slavonic Dyachenko records it as speech and sermon, deed or event, mind and reason, answer or account, and cause.^[8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – слово renders λόγος, λόγιον and ῥῆμα in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[9]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for λόγος.^[9]
• Until the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian translation of patristic texts from the Rila Monastery uses it for λόγος and ῥῆμα.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. word, speech; for λόγος, ῥῆμα.^[6][2][1]
2. The faculty of speech.^[6][1]
3. A speech, an oration.^[6]
4. A command, commandment.^[6][1]
5. A name, appellation.^[6][1]
6. News, report, rumour.^[6][1]
7. A promise, vow.^[6][1]
8. Teaching.^[6][1]
9. (Christianity) The Word, the Logos; for Λόγος.^[6][2][1]
10. A literary work; a homily, sermon;^[6][1] Holy Scripture or a quotation from it.^[6][1]
11. A reason, cause.^[6][7][1]
12. (after Greek) An account, reckoning.^[6][7][1]
13. (after Greek) Reason; sense, meaning.^[6][7][1]
14. (after Greek) Manner, nature.^[6][1]
15. (after Hebrew) A thing, matter.^[6][1]

Word family

• бесловесьнъ
• бесловьнъ
• благословити
• благословьнъ
• богословиѥ
• богословьць
• двословивъ
• несловесьнъ
• прьвословесьнъ
• словесьнъ
• соуѥсловьць
• благословениѥ
• богословесьствовати
• богословествити

Related words

• слоути
• слава

Usage notes

In Church Slavonic, Слово as the second person of the Trinity can take the forms and agreement of a masculine noun.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 673
5. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 304
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u 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 c d e Schumann, Kurt (1958), Die griechischen Lehnbildungen und Lehnbedeutungen im Altbulgarischen, Veröffentlichungen der Abteilung für slavische Sprachen und Literaturen des Osteuropa-Instituts an der Freien Universität Berlin 16, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, p. 54
8. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
9. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
10. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina