Etymologically

ходити

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 04:13. This address is a permanent link to this version.

Forms

ходити (xoditi) impf, Glagolitic ⱈⱁⰴⰻⱅⰻ[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *xoditi (“to go, walk”), a verb of all the Slavic languages.[2][3][1] The same word is Bulgarian ходя (xodja), Serbo-Croatian hòditi, Slovene hóditi, Czech choditi, Slovak chodiť, Polish chodzić and Russian ходить (xodit’).[2][3][4] Beside the o-grade there is a reduced grade *šьd-, whose forms became the past tense of ити.[2]

ESJS finds the most convincing comparison with Ancient Greek ὁδός (hodós, “road, way”) and with Indo-Iranian verbs for approaching and going away, from Proto-Indo-European *sod- or *sed- (“to go”), and Derksen compares ὁδεύω (hodeúō, “to wander”).[2][3][1] The initial x- is explained from s- after prefixes ending in -i or -u (such as *pri- and *u-), by the ruki rule.[3][5][6] Kortlandt explains the absence of Winter's law by a lost reduplicated present *sizd-.[3]

Whether this root is the same as *sed- “to sit” of сѣдѣти is disputed: some derive “go” from “sit” through certain prefixed verbs (Pedersen) or through riding, but ESJS, following Meillet, prefers two homonymous roots, with the ablaut and the x- keeping them apart.[2][6][1] ESJS and Vasmer reject the comparison with Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐍅𐍉 (gatwō, “street”) proposed by Machek and Budimir, and ESJS also Brückner's with Latin dēscendō (“to descend”).[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it renders Ancient Greek περιπατέω (peripatéō, “to walk about”) and πορεύομαι (poreúomai, “to go”), as in the healing at the pool, и абье цѣлъ бꙑстъ чловѣкъ... и хождаше “and immediately the man was made whole, and walked” (J 5, 9, Codex Zographensis, Codex Marianus and Codex Assemanianus).[7] SNSP counts more than 200 uses.[7]

Semantic evolution

The SJS records walking and moving about, going round and passing by, journeying and travelling, coming to someone or visiting, and going away.[8] ESJS takes the sense “to live, to conduct oneself” as probably a Hebraism, and lists many phrases: ходити въ слѣдъ “to follow”, подъ кѣмь ходити “to be subject to someone”, право ходити “to act rightly”, ходити съ кѣмь “to keep company with”.[2] The infinitive also renders the noun Ancient Greek περίπατος (perípatos, “walk”).[7][9]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – ходити renders περιπατεῖν, πορεύεσθαι and συνοδεύειν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.[9]
  • Before the early 15th century – a Serbian patristic text of the Rila Monastery uses it for πατέω and περιπατέω.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To walk, to go on foot, to move about; for περιπατεῖν, πορεύεσθαι, βαδίζειν.[8][7][1]
  2. To go round; to pass by.[8]
  3. To journey, to travel; for πορεύεσθαι, ὁδεύειν.[8]
  4. To come to, to visit.[8]
  5. To go away, to leave; for ὑποχωρεῖν, ἀπέρχεσθαι.[8]
  6. (figurative) To live, to conduct oneself.[2]

Word family

  • доходити
  • ходатаи
  • ходатаиство
  • исходатаꙗти
  • исходатаи
  • исходище
  • исходити
  • исходъ
  • исхождениѥ
  • мимоходити
  • находити
  • непрѣходимъ
  • новоприходити
  • объходити
  • ити
  • Russian ходить (xodit’)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 222
  3. ^ a b c d e Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 202
  4. ^ Trubačev, Oleg N.; Žuravlev, Anatolij F.; Varbot, Žanna Ž. (eds.) (1974–2021), Ètimologičeskij slovar' slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, vols. 1–42, Moskva: Nauka, p. 8, 48
  5. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 243
  6. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 252–253
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b c d e f 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 c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de