велеть

Forms

веле́ть (velétʹ) impf or pf (perfective повеле́ть)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic велѣти (velěti), from Proto-Slavic *velěti (“to want, to order”), present *veljǫ.^[1][2][3][4] Related forms are Old Church Slavonic велѣти (velěti), which renders Greek verbs of wishing and commanding, Ukrainian веліти (velity), Bulgarian веля (velja, “I say”), Slovene veléti and Czech veleti (“to command”).^[2][5] Following Meillet, Vasmer takes it to have been an athematic verb at first.^[2]

The root is Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to want, wish, choose”), with the o-grade in воля and the zero grade in довлеть.^[6][3][2] Cognates are Lithuanian pavelti (“to want, allow”) and viltìs (“hope”), Latin volō (“I want”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wiljan, “to want”), Old Saxon williu (“I want”), Sanskrit वृणाति (vṛṇā́ti, “chooses, prefers”), Ancient Greek ἔλδομαι (éldomai, “I wish”) and Welsh gwell (“better”).^[2][6][5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chernykh records the verb in Old Russian and Old Church Slavonic from the 11th century, with the senses to order, to want, to wish and to allow.^[6][3] The Old Church Slavonic texts use it for commanding and ordering.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The old senses of wanting and allowing gave way to that of ordering.^[6][3] Allowing survived in popular speech: Dal noted that people said велеть for “to permit”, and SRNG records this sense in many dialects, and “to call” in Tver.^[7] SlRJa XVIII records the predicative велѣно “it is ordered”.^[8] Modern Russian also uses the verb for asking someone to do something, as in sending one's regards: кланяться велели “they asked to be remembered to you”.^[9] In South Slavic the verb came to mean to say.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 11th century – велѣти “to order, to want” in Old Russian.^[6]
• 18th century – the predicative велѣно “it is ordered”.^[8]
• 1806 – “to permit” in the Academy dictionary.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To order, command: to state one's will firmly and require it to be done; with the dative of the person and an infinitive, or with чтобы.^[10] Imperfective and perfective, the past tense only perfective.^[10][1]
2. To ask or tell someone to do something: to ask to pass on greetings.^[9]
3. (regional) To allow, permit.^[7]

Word family

• повелеть
• повелевать
• повеление
• повелитель
• повелительный

Related words

• воля
• довлеть
• великий
• Old East Slavic велѣти (velěti)

Usage notes

Велеть is both imperfective and perfective; its past tense counts as perfective, and the perfective partner is повелеть.^[10][1] The phrase велеть долго жить means to die.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 288
3. ^ a b c d Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 100
4. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 514
5. ^ a b c Shansky, N. M.; Zhuravlev, A. F. (eds.) (1963–2007), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], vols. 1–10 (A–M), Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, p. 3, s.v. велеть
6. ^ a b c d e Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. велеть
7. ^ a b c Filin, F. P.; Sorokoletov, F. P.; Myznikov, S. A. (eds.) (1965–), Slovar' russkix narodnyx govorov [Словарь русских народных говоров], vols. 1–51, Moskva / Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 4, 106
8. ^ a b 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. велеть
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. велеть
10. ^ a b c Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. велеть