Etymologically
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вода

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Pronunciation

Forms

вода́ (vodá) f inan (genitive воды́, nominative plural во́ды, genitive plural вод, relational adjective водяно́й or во́дный, diminutive води́чка or води́ца)[1] Old Russian texts write the accusative водоу and the instrumental водою: „теплою водою и гоубою” “with warm water and a sponge” (a 12th–13th-century monastic rule).[2] The stress moves in the plural: во́ды, вод, во́дам; the accusative singular is во́ду.[1][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic вода (voda), from Proto-Slavic *voda (“water”).[1][4][5] The word is shared by all the Slavic languages: Old Church Slavonic вода (voda), Ukrainian вода (voda), Belarusian вада (vada), Polish woda and Czech voda.[4][6]

The Slavic noun continues an Indo-European word for water with an r/n stem, *wódr̥, from the root *wed- (“wet, water”).[1][7] Its cognates include Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 (watō), Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr), Sanskrit उदक (udaká) and Hittite wātar; Lithuanian vanduõ and Latin unda (“wave”) have a nasal that was added later.[4][7] Slavic made it a feminine noun in ⟨-a⟩.[6]

ведро and выдра come from the same root with other vowel grades.[4][7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is in the oldest dated book written in Rus', the Ostromir Gospel of 1056–1057: „повели ми прити къ тебѣ по водамъ” “bid me come to thee on the waters” (Matthew 14:28).[8] The Izbornik of 1076 has it in the sense “water”, the liquid.[2][9] Chernykh dates it in Old Russian from the 11th century.[10]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian already used the word for a body of water: the Lay of Igor's Campaign has Igor leap “onto the water” like a white goldeneye.[8] Sreznevsky records святая вода “holy water” and water used in the ordeal.[11] The 16th- and 17th-century texts add rain or wet weather, urine, a medicinal infusion and a drink such as вода брусничная “cowberry water”.[9]

The figurative sense “empty words, padding” is Russian: Shcherba pointed out that French eau has no such sense, and that the Russian word stresses that water has no food value.[12] Slang has лить воду “to talk nonsense”.[13] In the north the word also means a tide.[1]

Timeline

  • 1056–1057 – водамъ “the waters” in the Ostromir Gospel.[8]
  • 1076 – водоу “water” in the Izbornik of 1076.[2][9]
  • end of the 12th century – на воду “onto the water” in the Lay of Igor's Campaign.[8]
  • 16th century – вода брусничная, a cowberry drink, in the Domostroy.[9]
  • 1645 – “water” in the sense “urine”, in a physicians' report.[9]
  • 1677 – съ водою “in wet weather”.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. water: the clear colourless liquid, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen.[3][14][1]
  2. A body of water or its surface: travelling по воде is going by water.[15]
  3. (in the plural) waters: the rivers, lakes and other waters of a territory, as in внутренние воды “inland waters”.[15]
  4. (in the plural) Mineral springs, or a spa that has them: to go на воды is to take the waters.[15][3]
  5. A soft drink.[1]
  6. (figurative, colloquial) Empty, wordy talk or writing: an essay с водой is padded out.[3][1]

Word family

  • водный
  • водяной
  • водянистый
  • водица
  • водка
  • подводный
  • наводнить
  • половодье
  • водопровод
  • водолаз
  • ведро
  • выдра
  • Old East Slavic вода (voda)

Usage notes

A different noun во́да “it”, the player who chases the others in tag, is made from водить.[1] Set phrases include как в воду канул “vanished without trace” and выйти сухим из воды “to get away scot-free”.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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, 450
  3. ^ a b c d Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. вода
  4. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 330
  5. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 523
  6. ^ 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. вода
  7. ^ a b c Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 128
  8. ^ a b c d 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. вода
  9. ^ a b c d e f 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. 2, 249
  10. ^ 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. вода
  11. ^ Sreznevsky, I. I. (1893–1912), Materialy dlja slovarja drevne-russkago jazyka po pis'mennym pamjatnikam [Материалы для словаря древнерусского языка по письменным памятникам], 3 vols., Sankt-Peterburg: Imperatorskaja Akademija nauk, p. 3, s.v. вода
  12. ^ Vinogradov, V. V. (1999), Istorija slov [История слов], Moskva: Institut russkogo jazyka RAN (online edition, etymolog.ruslang.ru), p. s.v. вода
  13. ^ Elistratov, V. S. (2000), Slovar' russkogo argo [Словарь русского арго], Moskva: Russkie slovari, p. s.v. вода
  14. ^ 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. вода
  15. ^ a b c Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. вода