болого

Forms

бо́лого (bólogo)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic болого (bologo), from Proto-Slavic *bolgo (“well, good”).^[1][2][3] The Proto-Slavic adverb was the neuter nominative-accusative of the adjective *bolgъ (“good, kind”); the Old Russian noun “the good” is the same neuter used as a noun, as добро stands beside добрый.^[2][4] Russian dialects also have болозе “well”, and the place name Бологое belongs here.^[5]

Its Church Slavonic counterpart gave Russian благо and благой, its doublets.^[5][1] The Slavic relatives include Ukrainian болого (boloho), Old Church Slavonic благъ (blagŭ), Bulgarian благо (blago, “food forbidden in Lent”), Serbo-Croatian blȃgo (“property; money; cattle”), Slovene blagȏ, Czech blahý (“blissful”) and Polish błogi (“blissful, pleasant”).^[5][4]

The further origin is uncertain.^[1] Vasmer thought it probably related to Avestan bǝrǝǰayeiti (“invokes, worships”) and Sanskrit बृहस्पति (bṛ́haspáti, “lord of prayer”); he found a link with берегу less likely, and rejected the comparison with большой on phonetic grounds, following Vaillant.^[5] If the Slavic adjective had once meant “beautiful, radiant”, he added, it might be related to Latin fulgor and flagrō (“to blaze”).^[5] Wiktionary calls the Indo-Iranian comparison highly speculative, and notes that Pokorny's derivation from a form of Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”) has not been followed by later linguists.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun болого “good, benefit” is in the Russkaya Pravda in the copy of 1280, in the article on goods left for safekeeping: the keeper takes an oath „зане же ѥмоу болого дѣлъ … и хоронилъ товаръ ѥго” “because he did him a good turn and kept his goods”.^[6] The Lay of Igor's Campaign has it twice in the phrase не бологомъ “to no good”: „а древо не бологомъ листвие срони” “and the tree shed its leaves to no good”.^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian used болого as a noun, “the good”, like Church Slavonic благо.^[6][4] In modern Russian it survives only in dialects, as an adverb: Dal records бо́лого “well, much” and “it's a good thing that” as an eastern word, and the dialect dictionary records it from Yaroslavl, Tver, Novgorod, Kostroma and Vologda to Tobolsk, Irkutsk and Transbaikalia.^[2] In the standard language the Church Slavonic благо took its place.^[1]

Timeline

• 1280 – болого дѣлъ “did a good turn” in the Russkaya Pravda copy of 1280.^[6][4]
• 14th century – the same passage in a 14th-century copy of the Russkaya Pravda.^[6]
• 1880–1882 – Dal records бо́лого “well” as an eastern dialect word.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (obsolete, regional) well, good; a great deal.^[2][1]
2. (regional) It is a good thing that, just as well that.^[2]

Related words

• благо
• благой
• Old East Slavic болого (bologo)

Usage notes

Derksen records the dialect stresses бо́лого and бологó.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Anikin, A. E. (2007–2021), Russkij ètimologičeskij slovar' [Русский этимологический словарь], vols. 1–13 (A–D), Moskva: Rukopisnye pamjatniki Drevnej Rusi / Institut russkogo jazyka RAN, p. 4, 17
3. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 51
4. ^ a b c d Anikin, A. E. (2007–2021), Russkij ètimologičeskij slovar' [Русский этимологический словарь], vols. 1–13 (A–D), Moskva: Rukopisnye pamjatniki Drevnej Rusi / Institut russkogo jazyka RAN, p. 4, 18
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. 1, 188
6. ^ a b c d Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. s.v. болого
7. ^ Vinogradova, V. L. (1965–1984), Slovar'-spravočnik «Slova o polku Igoreve» [Словарь-справочник «Слова о полку Игореве»], 6 vols., Moskva / Leningrad: Nauka, p. s.v. болого
8. ^ Barkhudarov, S. G. et al. (eds.) (1975–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XI–XVII vv. [Словарь русского языка XI–XVII вв.], vols. 1–31, Moskva: Nauka / Azbukovnik / Lexrus, p. 1, 282