съмрьть

Forms

съмрьть (sŭmrĭtĭ) f, i-stem^[1] The oldest Gospel codices mostly write съмръть, the Codex Suprasliensis mostly сьмрьть.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *sъmьrtь (“death”), made of the prefix *sъ- and *mьrtь.^[3][1] The second part comes from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mirtís and Proto-Indo-European *mértis, a noun of the root meaning “to die” that also gives мрѣти.^[1][3][4] The same word is Russian смерть (smertʹ), Ukrainian смерть (smertʹ), Belarusian смерць (smjercʹ), Bulgarian смърт (smărt), Macedonian смрт (smrt), Serbo-Croatian smȑt, Slovene smr̀t, Czech smrt, Slovak smrť, Polish śmierć, Upper Sorbian smjerć and Lower Sorbian smjerś.^[3][5][1]

Without the prefix the noun matches Lithuanian mirtìs (“death”), Latvian mir̃te, Sanskrit मृति (mṛtí, “death”) and Latin mors (“death”), and Vasmer adds Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂 (maurþr, “murder”).^[3][5] A simple Czech mrt survives for a dead part of something.^[5]

Vasmer, after Schulze and Machek, connects the prefix with Sanskrit सु (su, “good”), so that the compound first meant a good death, one's own natural death, and compares the Russian phrase for dying one's own death.^[5] Sadnik discusses the prefix under the word for healthy, съдравъ.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the oldest Gospel manuscripts, the Codex Zographensis, the Codex Marianus and the Codex Assemanianus, съмрьть translates Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “death”), as in прѣдастъ же братъ брата на съмръть “brother will hand over brother to death” (Mt 10, 21).^[2] It occurs as often in the Psalterium Sinaiticum: въ пръстъ съмрті съведе мѩ “you brought me down into the dust of death” (Ps 21, 16).^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The SNSP counts more than 200 instances in the oldest manuscripts, for θάνατος and more rarely for Ancient Greek ἀποβίωσις (apobíōsis), Ancient Greek μόρος (móros), Ancient Greek νέκρωσις (nékrōsis) and Ancient Greek κοίμησις (koímēsis).^[2] The SJS separates death as a state, also spiritual death and death personified (1C 15, 55), from death as an event, a killing, mortal danger or a death sentence (Mt 26, 66).^[6] The phrase без съмрьти means “immortal”, for ἀθάνατος, beside the adjective бесъмрътьнъ.^[6][2]

Miklosich records the spellings of the later recensions, such as Serbian смрть and Glagolitic семрть, and the form zemirt in the Freising Fragments.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. death, lifelessness, also spiritual death; for θάνατος.^[6][2][1]
2. Death as an event, decease, a killing or death penalty; for θάνατος, μόρος, κοίμησις.^[6][2]

Word family

• съмрьтьнъ
• бесъмрътьнъ

Related words

• мрѣти
• оумрѣти
• моръ
• мрьтвьць
• Russian смерть (smertʹ)

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 480
4. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 266
5. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 685–686
6. ^ a b c d e Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
7. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller