хотѣти

Forms

хотѣти (xotěti) impf, Glagolitic ⱈⱁⱅⱑⱅⰻ^[1] Present хоштѫ, хоштеши (xoštǫ, xošteši).^[2][3] Also хътѣти (xŭtěti), in the Codex Zographensis and the Codex Suprasliensis.^[4][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *xotěti (“to want, to wish”).^[4][1] Beside it ESJS sets a Proto-Slavic variant *xъtěti with a reduced root, which the OCS variant хътѣти continues;^[4] Machek held the reduced form to be later than Proto-Slavic.^[4] Some scholars take the verb, with its reduced root and its mixed present (the third person plural follows the i-verbs), for the continuation of an old athematic optative.^[4][5] The full root is kept in Russian хотеть (xotetʹ), Ukrainian хотіти (xotity) and Slovene hotẹ́ti, the reduced one in Czech chtít, Polish chcieć and Serbo-Croatian htjȅti.^[4][1][5] Bulgarian ща (šta) comes from *xъštǫ,^[5] and Bulgarian ще (šte), Macedonian ќе (ḱe) and the enclitic Serbo-Croatian ću form the future tense.^[4]

ESJS finds no convincing explanation of its origin and weighs two.^[4] Berneker saw in the reduced root a zero grade in ablaut with хватати (“to seize”), with the same shift of sense as in Latvian gribēt (“to want”) beside Lithuanian griebti (“to seize”);^[4][1] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller and Wiktionary follow this, but ESJS sees its weakness in the scarcity of the full grade this requires, known only from Russian dialect forms.^[6][1][4] Brückner and Machek compared Lithuanian ketėti (“to intend, to want”), explaining the initial consonant from an older cluster; then the reduced root would be an allegro shortening of a frequent word.^[4][6][5] Fraenkel doubts the Lithuanian link.^[4][6] Ondruš connected the verb with ходити (“to walk”), assuming a shift from “go” to “want”.^[4]

ESJS and Vasmer consider unlikely, mostly for reasons of sound, the older comparisons with the root of Latin sentiō (“to feel”) through a nasal root (Meillet), with Celtic words for desire such as Welsh chwant, and with Ancient Greek χατίς (khatís, “need”).^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is in all the oldest manuscripts, more than 500 times in those the SNSP covers.^[2] In the Gospels it renders Ancient Greek θέλω (thélō): the leper's cure is хоштѫ іштисти сѧ “I will; be clean” (Mt 8, 3, Codex Zographensis, Codex Marianus, Codex Assemanianus, Savvina kniga and the Ostromir Gospel), for θέλω, καθαρίσθητι.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The SJS divides the senses in three.^[7] First “to want, to will”, for θέλειν; with an infinitive “to be willing”, and in the negative “to refuse”, as in не хотѣахѫ прити “they would not come” (Mt 22, 3); in the Latin-based homilies of the Bes collection it renders dignari “to deign”.^[7] Second “to wish, to desire”, for θέλειν and βούλεσθαι, as in емоуже аште хоштеши дамь ти “whatever you wish I will give you” (Mc 6, 22).^[7][2] Third “to take pleasure in, to like”, and of persons “to be fond of”: in L 19, 14 the Codex Assemanianus has не хотѣахѫ его for ἐμίσουν αὐτόν “they hated him”, where the Codex Zographensis and the Codex Marianus have ненавидѣахѫ; with a dative it means “to wish someone something”, as in хотѩштеи мнѣ зъло “those who wish me evil” (Ps 39, 15, Psalterium Sinaiticum).^[7]

With an infinitive the verb also translates μέλλειν “to be about to”, and ESJS sees in these constructions the beginning of a periphrastic future.^[4][2][3] The present participle хотѧ means “willingly”, for ἑκών, and хотѧ и не хотѧ “willy-nilly”.^[4][3] In the Church Slavonic New Testament Giltebrandt lists it for μέλλειν, θέλειν, βούλεσθαι, πειρᾶσθαι and ὀρέγεσθαι.^[8]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – хотѣти renders μέλλειν and ἐθέλειν in the Euchologium Sinaiticum.^[9]
• 14th century – the Serbian Athonite translation of Gregory of Nyssa uses it for μέλλω.^[9]
• 1882–1885 – Giltebrandt lists its New Testament uses for μέλλειν, θέλειν and βούλεσθαι.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To want, to will; for θέλειν.^[7][2][1]
2. With an infinitive, to be willing; in the negative, to refuse.^[7]
3. To wish, to desire; for θέλειν, βούλεσθαι.^[7][2][1]
4. To take pleasure in, to like; of persons, to be fond of, in the negative to hate; for θέλειν, μισεῖν.^[7][2]
5. With an infinitive, to be about to; for μέλλειν.^[2][3]

Word family

• въсхотѣние
• въсхотѣти
• похоть
• похотьнъ
• похотѣние
• похотѣти
• хотѣниѥ
• хоть
• самохоть
• самохотьнѣ

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 224
5. ^ 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. 4, 270–271
6. ^ a b c Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 243
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
8. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de