тѣло

Forms

тѣло (tělo) n, s-stem^[1]; Glagolitic ⱅⱑⰾⱁ^[1] Genitive тѣлесе or тѣла.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *tělo (“body”), whose further etymology is unclear.^[1][5] The same word is Russian тело (telo), Bulgarian тяло (tjalo), Serbo-Croatian tijelo, Czech tělo and Polish ciało.^[4][1]

The only direct match is Latvian tēls (“image, shadow, figure, skeleton”), with the verb tēlot (“to shape”).^[5][4] Trautmann, Zubatý and Mikkola took it as related, but Mühlenbach and Endzelin consider the Latvian word a borrowing from Slavic, because an Indo-European long ē would rather have given an acute, and Sadnik and Aitzetmüller too call it suspect of being a loan.^[4][5]

Other proposals are uncertain.^[5] Vasmer finds unconvincing the comparisons with Old Prussian stallit (“to stand”), with тьло, with the word for shadow, Russian тень (tenʹ), and with Russian тесло (teslo).^[6] Iljinskij compared Ancient Greek στέλλω (stéllō, “to set up”) and στήλη (stḗlē, “pillar”).^[5] Dyachenko approves Miklosich's derivation from the root of the words for shadow and shade.^[7] Sayenko links it with Proto-Slavic *tьlěti (“to decay, to smoulder”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospel manuscripts the word translates Ancient Greek σῶμα (sôma, “body”): не оубоите сѧ оубиваѭштиихъ тѣло “do not fear those who kill the body” (Mt 10, 28, Codex Zographensis, Marianus and Assemanianus).^[8][2] In Luke it also renders Ancient Greek ἡλικία (hēlikía, “stature”): Zacchaeus could not see Jesus ꙗко тѣломь малъ бѣ “because he was small of stature” (L 19, 3, Zographensis and Assemanianus).^[8]

Semantic evolution

Besides the human or animal body, which also renders Ancient Greek σάρξ (sárx) and Ancient Greek σκήνωμα (skḗnōma), the canonical texts use the word figuratively for the Church as the body of Christ and for the bread of the Eucharist.^[8][1] It also means stature, human nature or corporeality (Ancient Greek φύσις (phúsis)), a person or hypostasis, and a material body or thing, as in the bodies celestial and terrestrial of 1C 15, 40.^[8][2] A further group of senses is image, form and appearance, for Ancient Greek εἰκών (eikṓn), and statue or pillar, for Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē) and σέβασμα, as in ꙗко тѣло сольно “like a pillar of salt”, of Lot's wife, in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[8][9] Schumann counts тѣло for στήλη among the OCS loan translations from Greek.^[10]

Later Church Slavonic kept the word for the body and the flesh, and also for a corpse (Ancient Greek πτῶμα (ptôma)), for society in a metaphorical sense, for age, and for the relics of a saint (святое тѣло).^[11][7]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum uses тѣло for σῶμα, εἰκών and στήλη.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists it in the New Testament for σῶμα, χρώς, σκήνωμα, σκῆνος, σάρξ and πτῶμα.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. body, the physical frame of a person or animal; for σῶμα, σάρξ, σκήνωμα.^[8][2][1]
2. (figurative) The Church as the body of Christ, and the bread of the Eucharist.^[8][1]
3. stature, figure, height; for ἡλικία.^[8][1]
4. Human nature, corporeality; for φύσις.^[8][1]
5. A person, hypostasis; for σῶμα, ὑπόστασις.^[8][1]
6. A material body or thing; for σῶμα.^[8]
7. image, form, appearance; for εἰκών.^[8][1]
8. A statue, pillar, idol; for εἰκών, στήλη, σέβασμα.^[8][3][1]

Word family

• тѣлесьнъ
• тѣлопьсаниѥ

Related words

• Russian тело (telo)

Usage notes

In Acts 17, 23 several manuscripts of the Apostolos (Christinopolitanus, Ochridskij, Slepčenskij, Makedonskij, Šišatovacký) use тѣло where the Greek has Ancient Greek βωμός (bōmós, “altar”) or σέβασμα “object of worship”, in Paul's speech on the Areopagus.^[8][3] Sedakova lists the word among the Church Slavonic false friends of Russian, since besides “body” it means “idol, statue”, as in the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar set up (Dn 3).^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 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, 39
5. ^ a b c d e Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 317
6. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 39–40
7. ^ a b D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
10. ^ 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. 57
11. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
12. ^ Sedakova, O. A. (2005), Slovar' trudnyx slov iz bogosluženija: cerkovnoslavjano-russkie paronimy, Moskva: Grēko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Šičalina