Etymologically
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бывать

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Pronunciation

  • [bɨˈvatʲ][1]

Forms

быва́ть (byvátʹ) impf (perfective побыва́ть)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic бывати (byvati), from Proto-Slavic *byvati (“to be, to happen”), an iterative verb made from *byti (“to be”) (Russian быть).[2][3][1] The verb is shared by the Slavic languages: Old Church Slavonic бꙑвати (byvati), Ukrainian бувати (buvaty), Belarusian бываць (byvacʹ), Bulgarian бивам (bivam), Serbo-Croatian бивати (bivati), Slovene bívati, Czech bývati and Polish bywać.[4][2][5]

The ⟨-v-⟩ is explained in two ways.[2] It may belong to a stem *bъv-, seen in Old Church Slavonic забъвенъ (zabŭvenŭ), with a lengthened root vowel; then the verb matches Lithuanian buvóti (“to visit, stay”) and bùvo (“was”) exactly, as Vasmer and Anikin note.[4][2] ESSJa and Shaposhnikov instead see in it only a glide that keeps apart the vowels of ⟨*byati⟩, with the root vowel of ⟨*byti⟩.[2][3] The root goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to grow, become”).[1]

In southern Russian dialects the verb is ⟨бува́ть⟩, with the root vowel of Ukrainian; in the north ⟨бува́т⟩ “perhaps” has /u/ after the labial /b/.[2] From Siberian Russian it passed into Dolgan buvāt (“maybe”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Izbornik of 1076 uses the verb for things that take place, translating Greek γίνονται: all the councils, services, feasts and sacrifices „бываѫть” so that a man may be cleansed of his sins.[6] Shaposhnikov lists it among the words known in Russian from the 11th to the 17th century, with many prefixed forms such as забывати, прибывати and добывати.[3]

Semantic evolution

In the Old Russian charters the verb means “to happen”: in 1391 the monastery's dependants complain of work „чего... при первых игуменех не бывало” “such as never happened under the earlier abbots”.[7] It also meant “to exist, be found” and “to come, be present”.[2][7] The parenthetical бывало “it used to happen” is in Avvakum's writings of 1675.[7] In the 18th century it was used of things that are found or occur at times, and of a settlement that once stood somewhere.[8]

Dialects keep many uses: быва́й(те) к нам is an invitation to visit (Barnaul, Baikal), and быва́ет or быва́т is a parenthetical word meaning “maybe” across the north and Siberia.[2]

Timeline

  • 1076 – бываѫть “take place” in the Izbornik of 1076.[6]
  • 1391 – „не бывало” “had not happened” in a monastery charter.[7]
  • 1675 – parenthetical бывало in Avvakum.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To happen or occur, usually from time to time: зимой здесь бывают метели “there are blizzards here in winter”.[9][10]
  2. To exist or be found now and then: бывают и такие люди “there are such people too”.[11]
  3. To be somewhere or take part in something, usually more than once: он редко бывает дома “he is seldom at home”.[10][12]
  4. To visit a place or a person, to come regularly: она часто бывает у нас “she often comes to see us”.[9][10]
  5. (impersonal, бывает) It happens (that), sometimes: бывает, что поезд опаздывает “sometimes the train is late”.[10][9]

Word family

  • побывать
  • бывалый
  • бывальщина
  • небывалый
  • бывший
  • бытийный
  • бытовой
  • былой
  • былинный
  • былое
  • быль
  • быльё
  • быличка
  • былина
  • Old East Slavic бывати (byvati)

Usage notes

The verb is imperfective; its perfective partner is побывать.[1] In the senses “to happen” and “to exist” it is used only in the third person.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. 5, 266
  3. ^ a b c Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 89
  4. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 257
  5. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 72
  6. ^ a b 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. 1, s.v. бывати
  7. ^ a b c d e 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, 362
  8. ^ Sorokin, Yu. S. et al. (eds.) (1984–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XVIII veka [Словарь русского языка XVIII века], vols. 1–24, Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. s.v. бывать
  9. ^ a b c Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. бывать
  10. ^ a b c d Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. бывать
  11. ^ a b Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. бывать
  12. ^ Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. бывать