Etymologically
Log in

кровь

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 17:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • [krofʲ][1]
  • Russia, Southern: [krow][1]
  • Ukraine: [krɔfʲ][1]

Forms

кровь (krovʹ) f inan (genitive кро́ви, nominative plural кро́ви, genitive plural крове́й, relational adjective кро́вный or кровяно́й, diminutive (endearing) кро́вушка, augmentative крови́ща)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic кръвь (krŭvĭ), from Proto-Slavic *kry (“blood”), genitive *krъve.[1][2][3] The modern nominative is the old accusative ⟨кръвь⟩, which replaced the nominative ⟨кры⟩;[4][5] the strong jer ⟨ъ⟩ then became /o/ after the weak jers were lost.[6][5] The other Slavic languages have Ukrainian кров (krov), Old Church Slavonic кръвь (krŭvĭ), Bulgarian кръв (krǎv), Serbo-Croatian крв (kȓv), Czech krev and Polish krew.[2]

The Slavic noun goes back to the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *krewh₂- (“blood of a wound”).[1][7] Its cognates include Lithuanian kraũjas (“blood”), Old Prussian krawian (“blood”), Sanskrit क्रविस् (kravís, “raw meat”), Ancient Greek κρέας (kréas, “meat”), Latin cruor (“blood flowing from a wound”), Welsh crau (“blood”) and Old Norse hrár (“raw, uncooked”).[2][8] Shaposhnikov reconstructs the Indo-European noun as *krūs, meaning the liquid that oozes from bloody raw meat, with its nearest match in Avestan xrū- (“piece of bloody raw meat”).[9][2] Shansky and Bobrova give the first meaning as “oozing blood”.[6] The adjective кровный matches krùvinas (“bloody”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is in the Ostromir Gospel of 1056–1057, in the healing of the woman with an issue of blood (Luke 8:44): „и абие ста токъ кръве ея” “and immediately her flow of blood stopped”.[10][11] Chernykh dates the Old Russian кръвь, genitive кръве or кръви, from the 11th century.[7]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian already used the word for bloodshed and killing: a Novgorod treaty of 1263 rules on a dispute “without blood”.[10] The Lay of Igor's Campaign has the black earth “sown with bones and watered with blood”, кровію польяна.[11] In 17th-century petitions the word meant blood shed in the tsar's service (1646), and въ кровь meant “until it bled” (1673).[10]

Later senses include close kinship and descent, a descendant, and temperament or passion.[12][13] The plural крови is used of the breed of animals.[9] In argot кровь means money, perhaps from criminal slang, where it meant money still in the victim's pocket.[14] Folk songs have a plural кровя “blood”.[15]

Timeline

  • 1056–1057 – токъ кръве ея “her flow of blood” in the Ostromir Gospel.[10]
  • 12th century – кръвь seen in the mouth after a tooth is knocked out, in the Russkaya Pravda, in a copy of 1282.[10]
  • 1263 – the sense “bloodshed, killing” in a Novgorod treaty.[10]
  • 1646 – the sense “blood shed in military service”.[10]
  • 1673 – в кровь “until it bled” in the Life of Avvakum.[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. blood: the red fluid that circulates in the blood vessels of humans and vertebrates and carries food and oxygen to the cells.[16][17][1]
  2. (figurative) Killing, bloodshed: на его руках кровь “there is blood on his hands”.[12][13]
  3. (figurative) Close kinship; descent, origin: он грузин по крови “he is Georgian by blood”.[12][16]
  4. (figurative) Temperament, passion.[13]
  5. (in the plural) The breed or pedigree of an animal.[9]

Word family

  • кровный
  • кровяной
  • кровавый
  • кровушка
  • кровинка
  • окровавить
  • кровопролитие
  • кровопийца
  • сукровица
  • кровоподтёк
  • Old East Slavic кръвь (krŭvĭ)

Usage notes

The word has a stressed ending in the locative: в крови́, о кро́ви.[12][16] In southern Russia it is pronounced [krow].[1] Set phrases include портить кровь “to upset someone” and кровь стынет в жилах “one's blood runs cold”.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 379
  3. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 254
  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. 8, s.v. кровь
  5. ^ a b Tsyganenko, G. P. (1989), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], 2nd ed., Kiev: Radjans'ka škola, p. s.v. кровь
  6. ^ a b Shansky, N. M.; Bobrova, T. A. (2004), Škol'nyj ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Школьный этимологический словарь русского языка], 7th ed., Moskva: Drofa, p. s.v. кровь
  7. ^ a b 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. кровь
  8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  9. ^ a b c Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 441
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. 8, 67
  11. ^ a b 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. кровь
  12. ^ 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. кровь
  13. ^ a b c 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. кровь
  14. ^ Elistratov, V. S. (2000), Slovar' russkogo argo [Словарь русского арго], Moskva: Russkie slovari, p. s.v. кровь
  15. ^ 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. 15, 270
  16. ^ 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. кровь
  17. ^ 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. кровь