дверь

Forms

дверь (dverʹ) f inan (genitive две́ри or двери́^*, nominative plural две́ри, genitive plural двере́й, relational adjective дверно́й, diminutive две́рка or две́рца) (* more common but non-standard)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic двьрь (dvĭrĭ), from Proto-Slavic *dvьrь (“door”), plural *dvьri.^[1][2][3] The other Slavic languages have Ukrainian двері (dvéri), Old Church Slavonic двьри (dvĭri), Czech dveře and Polish drzwi, the Polish word with a metathesis.^[4][5]

The noun is related by ablaut to двор.^[4][6][5] It continues an Indo-European consonant stem, which Slavic turned into an i-stem;^[2] Wiktionary reconstructs it as Proto-Indo-European *dʰwṓr.^[1] Its cognates include Lithuanian dùrys, Latvian duris, Old High German turi, Old Norse dyrr, Ancient Greek θύρα (thúra), Latin foris, Sanskrit द्वार (dvā́ra) and Albanian derë.^[4][1]

ESRJa thinks that the word first meant a double gate, the door of the yard, and that for that reason it was used only in the dual and plural, as some Slavic and other Indo-European languages still do; the singular ⟨двьрь⟩ of the oldest manuscripts is secondary.^[5] Anikin explains the dual and plural by a door being seen as the sum of its leaves.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Anikin dates the Old Russian двьрь to 1057, from the Ostromir Gospel.^[2] In the Izbornik of 1076 it is the door of a church: „Стоупивъ въ двьри цьрквьныя, помысли сама врата небесьная прошьдъ” “Stepping through the church doors, think that you have passed through the very gates of heaven”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian used the word for a door, a door leaf and a gate, more often in the plural.^[7] The двьри царьскыя “royal doors” were the main entrance to the altar.^[2][8] By the 17th century it also meant the doorway itself (1649), and при дверехъ meant “close at hand”, as of approaching death (1692).^[8] The diminutive двьрьца appears in the 16th century, in the senses “small door” and “window”, and the adjective двьрьный from the 12th century.^[9] The 18th century used it for the door of a carriage.^[10]

In Terek and Don dialects дверь and двери mean a gate.^[11][2] Political Russian has политика открытых дверей “the open-door policy”.^[12]

Timeline

• 1057 – двьрь in the Ostromir Gospel.^[2]
• 1076 – въ двьри цьрквьныя “through the church doors” in the Izbornik of 1076.^[7]
• 12th century – the adjective двьрьный.^[9]
• 16th century – the diminutive двьрьца “small door; window”.^[9]
• 1649 – the sense “doorway, opening in a wall”.^[8]
• 1692 – при дверехъ “close at hand”.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A doorway, an opening in a wall for going in and out: Мы ждали её в дверях “We waited for her in the doorway”.^[13][14]
2. A door, the panel of wood, metal or glass hung on hinges that closes such an opening.^[13][1]
3. The door of a vehicle, such as a car, carriage or aircraft.^[15]
4. (figurative) A way into something: открыть дверь в науку “to open the way into science for someone”.^[13]

Word family

• дверной
• дверца
• дверка

Related words

• двор
• Old East Slavic двьрь (dvĭrĭ)

Usage notes

The plural две́ри is often used of a single door, since many doors have two leaves.^[12][13] The instrumental plural is дверя́ми or дверьми́.^[13] Set phrases include при закрытых дверях “behind closed doors” and показать на дверь “to show someone the door”.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 13, 30
3. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 128
4. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 487
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. 5, s.v. дверь
6. ^ Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 208
7. ^ 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. 2, 44
8. ^ a b c d 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. 4, 181
9. ^ a b c 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. дверь
10. ^ 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. дверь
11. ^ 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. 7, 283
12. ^ 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. дверь
13. ^ a b c d e Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. дверь
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. дверь
15. ^ 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. дверь