тьмьница

Forms

тьмьница (tĭmĭnica) f, a-stem^[1] The spelling темьница is common: the Codex Marianus has it 17 times and the Codex Suprasliensis 42 times.^[2] The Codex Suprasliensis also writes тъмьница.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *tьmьnica (“dungeon”), a noun in *-ica made from the adjective *tьmьnъ (“dark”), itself from *tьma (“darkness”): a prison was named as a dark place.^[1] Vasmer too derives it from тьма, and Sadnik puts it in the family of that word.^[4][5] The same word is Russian темница (temnica), Bulgarian тъмница (tămnica) and Serbo-Croatian tamnica.^[1][4] Wiktionary lists Romanian temniță among its descendants, and Vasmer says that Middle Low German temenitze (“prison”) was borrowed from the Slavic word.^[1][4]

The root is that of Proto-Indo-European *temH- (“dark”).^[1] Sadnik compares Lithuanian temti (“to grow dark”), tamsa (“darkness”) and Old Saxon thimm (“dark”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts it renders Ancient Greek φυλακή (phulakḗ, “prison, guard”): оусѣкнѫ ꙇона въ тьмьници “he beheaded John in the prison” (Mt 14, 10, Zographensis and Marianus).^[6] The dictionary of the oldest manuscripts counts more than 100 occurrences.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Besides φυλακή, the word translates Ancient Greek δεσμωτήριον (desmōtḗrion), Ancient Greek εἱρκτή (heirktḗ), Ancient Greek φρουρά (phrourá) and Ancient Greek καταδίκη (katadíkē), always a place where prisoners are kept.^[6][2] In the Codex Suprasliensis it also stands for Ancient Greek πραιτώριον (praitṓrion), the governor's residence, in a quotation of J 18, 28, where the Gospel manuscripts have въ притворъ (Zographensis, Marianus) or въ преторь (Assemanianus, Savvina kniga, Ostromir Gospel).^[6]

Miklosich records the word in the later Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian copies, and in the spelling timniza in the Freising Fragments.^[3] Vasmer cites it for Old Russian as well as OCS.^[4]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – 11th century – liturgical translations from the western regions of the First Bulgarian Empire use it for δεσμωτήριον, εἱρκτή, οἴκημα and τήρησις.^[7]
• By the early 15th century – a Serbian translation kept at the Rila Monastery uses it for φυλακή.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A prison, jail, dungeon; for φυλακή, δεσμωτήριον, εἱρκτή.^[6][2][1]
2. In the Codex Suprasliensis, the praetorium; for πραιτώριον.^[6]

Word family

• тьмьничьнъ
• тьмьничьникъ

Related words

• тьма
• тьмьнъ
• Russian темница (temnica)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
4. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 40
5. ^ a b Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 318
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. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de