стоꙗти

Forms

стоꙗти (stojati) impf^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *stojati (“to stand”), with the first person present *stojǫ, a verb found in all the Slavic languages.^[2][3][1][4] The same word is Russian стоять (stojatʹ), Bulgarian стоя (stojá), Serbo-Croatian stàjati, Slovene státi, Czech stát and Polish stać, all with the same present stem.^[2][3][4]

The verb is built on the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand, to take one's stand”), which also underlies стати.^[2][5][4] How its stem was formed is not fully clear: ESJS takes it as a Proto-Slavic innovation with comparable formations only in Italic, Oscan staít (“stands”) and Umbrian stahu (“I stand”).^[2][4] Most of the literature starts from the zero grade of the root and explains the Slavic vowel o as the outcome of the laryngeal, while Smoczyński reconstructs a different pre-Slavic present stem.^[2] Wiktionary traces it through an earlier *stojěti and Proto-Balto-Slavic *stajḗˀtei to a stative *sth₂éh₁yeti, parallel to Proto-Italic *staēō.^[1]

The same root is in Lithuanian stoti (“to step, to stand up”), Latin stō (“to stand”) and Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to set, to place”).^[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts, the Codex Zographensis and the Codex Marianus, стоꙗти renders forms of Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi) and Ancient Greek στήκω (stḗkō) in the sense “to stand”, as in вьсь народъ на поморꙇи стоѣше “the whole crowd stood on the shore” (Mt 13, 2).^[6][7] The Psalterium Sinaiticum has it in ꙇдеже стоѣсте ноѕѣ его “where his feet stood” (Ps 131, 7).^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

From standing on one's feet the canonical texts extend the verb to remaining or lasting, as in въ ꙇстинѣ не стоꙇтъ “he did not abide in the truth” (J 8, 44), and to staying in force, said of a word or a decision.^[6] It also means to be present or to be situated, rendering Ancient Greek κεῖμαι (keîmai) for a city set on a hill (Mt 5, 14), and simply to be or to exist, for Ancient Greek συνίστημι (sunístēmi) (C 1, 17).^[6] The SJS also records it for the fourth grade of penitents, who were admitted to the liturgy with the faithful.^[6] ESJS lists the phrases стоꙗти за кого “to stand up for someone”, стоꙗти противоу “to oppose” and стоꙗти на себѣ “to be oneself, to hold firm”, and a large family of prefixed verbs and compounds.^[2]

Romanian borrowed from Church Slavonic ostoi (“to calm, to soothe”) and pristoi (“to put in, to land”).^[2]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – стоꙗти renders ἱστάναι and παρεῖναι in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[8]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for ἵστημι.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stand, to be on one's feet; for ἵστασθαι, στήκειν, παρίστασθαι.^[6][7][1]
2. To remain, to last, to stay; for ἵστασθαι, παραμένειν.^[6][1]
3. To be valid, to stay in force.^[6]
4. To be present, to be situated; for κεῖσθαι, ἵστασθαι.^[6][1]
5. To be, to exist; for συνίστασθαι.^[6]

Word family

• достоꙗти
• застоꙗти
• настоꙗти
• остоꙗти
• отъстоꙗти
• постоꙗти
• прѣдъстоꙗти
• прѣстоꙗти
• растоꙗти
• състоꙗти
• твръдостоꙗти
• оустоꙗти

Related words

• стати
• Russian стоять (stojatʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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
3. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 468
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, 769
5. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 308
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 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 SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de