Etymologically
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совет

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Pronunciation

  • [sɐˈvʲet][1]

Forms

сове́т (sovét) m inan (genitive сове́та, nominative plural сове́ты, genitive plural сове́тов)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old Church Slavonic съвѣтъ (sŭvětŭ), which renders Ancient Greek συμβούλιον (sumboúlion, “consultation”) and βουλή (boulḗ) in the Ostromir Gospel, the Glagolita Clozianus and the Suprasliensis and is a calque of the first.[2][3][1] Old Russian had Old East Slavic съвѣтъ (sŭvětŭ) and also ⟨свѣтъ⟩ in the Laurentian Codex.[2] совещаться is likewise Church Slavonic, from съвѣщати сѧ (sŭvěštati sę), a calque of συμβουλεύομαι (sumbouleúomai, “I take counsel”).[2]

Chernykh and Shaposhnikov derive the word from Proto-Slavic *sъvětъ, with the prefix *sъ- and the root of вече, ответ, привет and завет.[4][5] Shaposhnikov takes it as a back-formation from the verbs ⟨съвѣтити⟩ and ⟨съвѣщати(сѧ)⟩, like ⟨ответ⟩ beside ответить, formed in the same way as Latin cōnsilium beside cōnsulō.[5] The further history of the root is unclear:[4] Chernykh, following Machek, suggests Proto-Indo-European *woiktos (“deed, action”), from *weik- (“to act”), related to Lithuanian veĩkti (“to do, work”) and Latin vincō (“I conquer”), since “deed” and “word” often go together.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chernykh dates съвѣтъ in Old Russian from the 11th century, together with съвѣтьникъ and съвѣтовати.[4] Sreznevsky's glosses show how wide the old sense was: advice, deliberation, agreement, conspiracy, intention, assembly.[6] The word is frequent in the Laurentian Codex of the Primary Chronicle.[7]

Semantic evolution

Shaposhnikov notes that the Old Russian noun named the action of съвѣтовати, a meeting such as the вече, and the holding of a council; it is in Berynda's dictionary of 1627.[5] An old sense “agreement, harmony” survives in sayings: жить в совете was to live in peace,[8] and совет да любовь is still wished to newlyweds.[1]

The sense “consultative body of an institution” is recorded from 1847, the date of the first dictionary record of советский in the sense “of a council”.[5][4] In 1905 the word was applied to the councils of workers' deputies, and in 1917 it became the name of the organs of state power.[4][5][9] Then советский took its modern sense, and советизировать followed by the 1920s.[4] In this sense the word passed into English, French, Italian and Spanish as soviet and into German as Sowjet, while Ukrainian uses рада and Polish rada.[4][10]

Timeline

  • 11th century – съвѣтъ in Old Russian.[4]
  • 1627 – in Berynda's dictionary.[5]
  • 1847 – “consultative body” of an institution.[5][4]
  • 1905 – the councils of workers' deputies.[4][5]
  • 1917 – the organs of Soviet state power; the word is borrowed into English as soviet.[4][10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. advice: an opinion given to someone about what to do, a piece of counsel.[11][12]
  2. Joint discussion of a matter, a consultation or meeting: держать совет is to confer.[11][13]
  3. A collegial body, a council or board: учёный совет “academic council”.[11]
  4. (Soviet Union) A soviet, an organ of state power made up of elected deputies.[11][1]
  5. (dated) Agreement, harmony.[5][8]

Word family

  • советовать
  • советоваться
  • советник
  • советчик
  • советский
  • навет
  • извет
  • ответ
  • привет
  • вече
  • отвечать
  • ответить
  • завещать
  • совещаться
  • завет
  • Old Church Slavonic съвѣтъ (sŭvětŭ)

Usage notes

An old genitive совету survives in colloquial and older usage: Krylov has не послушался я умного совету.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 705
  3. ^ 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. совет
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 2, s.v. совет
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 2, 347
  6. ^ 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. съвѣтъ
  7. ^ Eckhoff, Hanne M.; Berdicevskis, Aleksandrs et al., TOROT: The Tromsø Old Russian and OCS Treebank, release 20200116, torottreebank.github.io
  8. ^ a b Michelson, M. I. (1902–1903), Russkaja mysl' i reč'. Svoe i čužoe. Opyt russkoj frazeologii [Русская мысль и речь. Свое и чужое. Опыт русской фразеологии], 2 vols., Sankt-Peterburg, p. s.v. совет
  9. ^ Tsyganenko, G. P. (1989), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], 2nd ed., Kiev: Radjans'ka škola, p. s.v. совет
  10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com, p. s.v. soviet
  11. ^ 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. совет
  12. ^ 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. совет
  13. ^ Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. совет
  14. ^ Gorbanevsky, M. N.; Gerd, A. S. et al. (eds.) (2004–), Bol'šoj akademičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой академический словарь русского языка], Moskva / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 26, s.v. совет