слоуга

Forms

слоуга (sluga) m, a-stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *sluga (“servant, attendant”), from which come the verb слоужити and the noun слоужьба and their many derivatives.^[1][2][3] The same word is Russian слуга (sluga), Ukrainian слуга (sluha), Bulgarian слуга (sluga), Serbo-Croatian slúga, Slovene slúga, Czech sluha and Polish sługa.^[1][4] Vasmer also records the form Czech slouha for the herdsman of a village community.^[4]

The usual comparison is with Lithuanian slaugà (“service, assistance”) and slaugýti (“to support, to help”), and with the Celtic word for a host, Proto-Celtic *slougos (“troop, military regiment”), which Zubatý and Brückner proposed and Vasmer, Machek and Snoj accepted.^[3][4][1] Matasović takes *sluga as a collective formed from an earlier Balto-Slavic adjective Proto-Balto-Slavic *sláugas, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *slew- (“to proceed, to adhere to”).^[1] Mikkola, Shakhmatov and Feist thought of an early loan from Celtic, which Vasmer rules out.^[4][1]

Mladenov and Ondruš instead derived the noun from Proto-Slavic *sluti (“to call”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”), and compared Latin cliēns.^[1] Vasmer rejects any link with the verb behind Russian слыть (slytʹ), which Terras had proposed with an original sense “bondsman”, because the Baltic and Celtic forms point to an initial cluster sl-.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts the word translates Ancient Greek διάκονος (diákonos), as in ꙇдеже есмь азъ • тоу ꙇ слоуга моі бѫдетъ “where I am, there shall my servant be too” (J 12, 26), in the Codex Zographensis, the Codex Marianus, the Codex Assemanianus and the Savvina kniga.^[5] SNSP counts it more than a hundred times in the oldest manuscripts.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The SJS lists it for a whole set of Greek words for servants and ministers: Ancient Greek ὑπηρέτης (hupērétēs), διάκονος (diákonos), λειτουργός (leitourgós), θεράπων (therápōn) and παῖς (paîs).^[5][6] In the parable of the judge (L 12, 58) the Zographensis and Marianus use it for the court officer, Ancient Greek πράκτωρ (práktōr), where another Gospel manuscript keeps the Greek word.^[5] In the plural the Codex Suprasliensis uses it for the retinue of a ruler, translating Ancient Greek τάξις (táxis).^[5] ESJS also records the special senses “deacon” and “soldier”.^[2]

The word stayed the ordinary Church Slavonic term: Giltebrandt lists it in the New Testament for ὑπηρέτης, διάκονος, πράκτωρ, λειτουργός and θεράπων.^[7]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium translation uses слоуга for λειτουργός, διάκονος and θεράπων.^[8]
• 14th century – the Athonite Serbian translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ὑπηρέτης.^[8]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt records the New Testament uses of the word.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A servant or attendant; for ὑπηρέτης, διάκονος, θεράπων.^[5][6][1]
2. A court officer or executioner; for πράκτωρ, δήμιος.^[5]
3. (in the plural) The members of a ruler's retinue.^[5]

Word family

• слоужити
• слоужьба
• слоужитель
• слоуговати
• послоужити
• оуслоужити
• идолослоужитель

Related words

• Russian слуга (sluga)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU
3. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 304
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, 676
5. ^ 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
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
8. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de