видеть

Forms

ви́деть (vídetʹ) impf (perfective зави́деть or уви́деть, verbal noun ви́дение)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic видѣти (viděti), from Proto-Slavic *viděti (“to see”).^[1][2][3] The verb is shared by all the Slavic languages: Ukrainian видіти (vydity), Old Church Slavonic видѣти (viděti), Bulgarian видя (vidja), Serbo-Croatian vidjeti, Slovene videti, Czech viděti, Slovak vidieť, Polish widzieć and Upper Sorbian widźeć.^[2][4] It was originally athematic, which explains the Church Slavonic passive participle Old Church Slavonic видомъ (vidomŭ) and the imperative виждь (viždĭ).^[2][3] Its perfective partner is увидеть.^[5][1]

The root is Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”).^[1][6][3] Latin videō (“to see”) corresponds exactly to the Slavic verb, and both, like Latvian viedêt (“to see”), are duratives.^[2][6][3] Further cognates are Lithuanian pavydėti (“to envy”), veizdėti (“to look”), Old Prussian widdai (“saw”), Ancient Greek εἶδον (eîdon, “I saw”), εἴδομαι (eídomai, “I seem”) and Old Irish ro-fetar (“I know”).^[2][3] The o-grade of the same root gives ведать “to know”, from *věděti, like οἶδα (oîda, “I know”), originally a perfect “I know, because I have seen”.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Izbornik of 1076 has it of drunkards: „мьглоу видѧть въ очию и оутапаѭть” “they see a mist before their eyes and drown”.^[7] Chernykh dates the verb in Old Russian from the 11th century.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The Izbornik of 1076 already has the phrases видѣти въ сънѣ “to see in a dream” and видѣти сънъ “to have a dream”, and the figurative “to be aware of, understand”.^[7] Novgorod birchbark letters of the late 14th and early 15th century show the everyday language: „виделе ѥсмь и цюле” “I saw and heard”.^[3] In the 18th century the Church Slavonic present ви́жду still stood beside ви́жу.^[9]

Old Russian already had many prefixed verbs from it, such as завидѣти, ненавидѣти and предвидѣти.^[6] The modern verb also means “to meet someone” and “to watch a play or a film”.^[10]

Timeline

• 1076 – видѧть “they see” in the Izbornik of 1076.^[7]
• 1164 – видѧ “seeing” in a scribe's note: the scribe rejoices to see the last leaf.^[7]
• early 15th century – виделе ѥсмь “I saw” in a Novgorod birchbark letter.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be able to see, have sight: кошки видят в темноте “cats can see in the dark”.^[10][11]
2. To see, perceive with the eyes: я вижу корабль.^[10]
3. To meet someone: я видел его вчера.^[10]
4. To experience, live through: он многое видел в жизни.^[10]
5. To realise, recognise: видеть свои недостатки “to see one's own faults”.^[10]
6. To see in a dream (with сон, во сне).^[10]
7. To watch a play, film or performer.^[10]
8. (видишь, видите) Parenthetical: “you see”.^[10]

Word family

• увидеть
• видеться
• видение
• ненавидеть
• предвидеть
• завидеть
• привидеться
• провидеть
• свидеться

Related words

• видать
• ведать
• вид
• Old East Slavic видѣти (viděti)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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, 312
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. 7, 146
4. ^ 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. видеть
5. ^ Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. видеть
6. ^ a b c Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 116
7. ^ 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. 1, 420
8. ^ 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. видеть
9. ^ 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. видеть
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. видеть
11. ^ 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. видеть