творить

Forms

твори́ть (tvorítʹ) impf (perfective претвори́ть or сотвори́ть)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic творити (tvoriti), from Proto-Slavic *tvoriti (“to make”).^[1][2][3] The verb is common Slavic: Old Church Slavonic творити (tvoriti) renders Ancient Greek ποιεῖν (poieîn, “to make, do”), and there are Ukrainian творити (tvoryty), Bulgarian творя (tvorja, “I make, create”), Czech tvořit, Polish tworzyć and Slovene storiti (“to do”).^[2]

Shaposhnikov derives it, as a verb in ⟨-iti⟩, from the noun Proto-Slavic *tvorъ, which Old Russian kept as Old East Slavic творъ (tvorŭ, “appearance, form, structure”).^[4] Vasmer compares Lithuanian tvérti (“to seize”), Latvian tvert (“to grasp, hold”), tvárstyti (“to bandage”), turė́ti (“to hold”) and Old Prussian turīt (“to have”).^[2] Shaposhnikov takes the root to be Proto-Indo-European *twer- (“to grasp, enclose”), and sees behind the Slavic sense “to create, to form” the idea of thickening, setting and grasping;^[4] Wiktionary makes the verb a causative-iterative of *twerH- (“to fence in, grab”).^[1]

Shansky and Bobrova relate it, with another vowel, to твёрдый and тварь, so that it first meant “to make firm”.^[5] Tsyganenko mentions the view that its initial ⟨t-⟩ was taken from a prefix ⟨ot-⟩, as in отворить.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Izbornik of 1073 has „равно творити” “to do likewise”, of God; a 12th-century Chrysostom collection says „се же и нынѣ творить Богъ” “this God does even now”, of forming a child in the womb.^[7] Sreznevsky's glosses run from “to do, build, create, produce” to “to consider”, “to pretend” and “to dissolve one thing in another”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The Lay of Igor's Campaign uses it of composing: Boyan, „аще кому хотяше пѣснь творити” “if he wished to make a song for someone”.^[9] Dictionaries record the form творю in Berynda's lexicon of 1627, творити from 1731 and творить from 1771.^[4]

Modern Russian keeps the elevated “to create” and the bookish “to do, commit”, the latter often ironic.^[10] The sense “to prepare a mixture by dissolving or kneading”, of dough or lime, which Ozhegov treats as a separate verb, goes back to the Old Russian “to dissolve one thing in another”.^[10][8] Regional speech uses it for kneading dough (Siberia 1850, Kostroma, Arkhangelsk), for cooking (Leningrad 1954) and for working in a garden (Novosibirsk 1979).^[11][12]

Timeline

• 1073 – творити “to do” in the Izbornik of 1073.^[7]
• 12th century – творить “makes, forms”, of God, in the Zlatostruy.^[7]
• end of the 12th century – пѣснь творити “to make a song” in the Lay of Igor's Campaign.^[9]
• 1627 – творю in Berynda's dictionary.^[4]
• 1771 – творить in a dictionary.^[4]
• 1822 – творить хлебы “to knead bread dough” in the Academy dictionary.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. (imperfective; perfective сотворить) (elevated) to create, especially in art or thought.^[10][13][1]
2. To do, commit, perform, as in doing good or working miracles.^[10][13]
3. (colloquial) To get up to something outrageous: что он творит! “what is he doing!”.^[10][14]
4. (perfective затворить) To prepare a mixture by dissolving or kneading, such as dough or lime.^[10][15]

Word family

• твориться
• сотворить
• натворить
• вытворять
• затворить
• растворить
• притвориться
• претворить
• творение
• творец
• творчество

Related words

• утварь
• тварь
• твёрдый
• Old East Slavic творити (tvoriti)

Usage notes

Ozhegov gives the mixing sense as a second verb творить² with the perfective затворить;^[10][1] Wiktionary has it as a rare sense of one verb.^[10][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 4, 34
3. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 501
4. ^ a b c d e Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 2, 407
5. ^ 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. творить
6. ^ Tsyganenko, G. P. (1989), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], 2nd ed., Kiev: Radjans'ka škola, p. s.v. творить
7. ^ a b c 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. 29, 253
8. ^ a b 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. творити
9. ^ 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. творити
10. ^ a b c d e f g h Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. творить
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. 43, 328
12. ^ a b 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. 43, 330
13. ^ a b 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. творить
14. ^ Kuznetsov, S. A. (ed.) (1998), Bol'šoj tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой толковый словарь русского языка], Sankt-Peterburg: Norint, p. s.v. творить
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. творить