Etymologically
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тереть

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Pronunciation

  • [tʲɪˈrʲetʲ][1]

Forms

тере́ть (terétʹ) impf (perfective потере́ть)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic терети (tereti), from Proto-Slavic *terti (“to rub”), present *tьrǫ.[1][2][3][4] The Russian form shows pleophony, ⟨-ере-⟩ for Proto-Slavic ⟨-er-⟩ before a consonant, and has lost the final unstressed /i/.[5] Serbian Church Slavonic has Old Church Slavonic трѣти (trěti), rendering Greek for rubbing.[2] Related forms are Ukrainian терти (terty), Belarusian церці (cerci), Bulgarian трия (trija, “I rub”), Slovene tréti, Czech tříti and Polish trzeć.[2]

The verb comes from an Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *ter- (“to rub, sharpen”).[3] It is related to Latin terō (“I rub”) and terebra (“drill”), Ancient Greek τείρω (teírō, “I rub away, distress”), Lithuanian trìnti (“to rub”) and tìrti (“to investigate”), Latvian trĩt (“to rub, sharpen”) and Armenian թրել (tʻrel, “to knead”).[2][1][3] Shaposhnikov adds Albanian tjerr (“to spin”) and τόρος (tóros, “sculptor's chisel”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest dated record SlRJa gives is in the Galich Gospel of 1144, in Mark 7:3: the Pharisees do not eat „аще не умыють рук тьруще” “unless they wash their hands, rubbing them”.[6] SlRJa also quotes the Sinai Paterikon, where a monk began „тьрти очи пьрсты” “to rub his eyes with his fingers”.[6]

Semantic evolution

In Old Russian the verb meant to rub and also to trample and lay waste.[3] The texts use it for rubbing an eye (in a copy of 1578) and for rubbing a chest with snow (1673), and a text of Cosmas Indicopleustes in a 1495 manuscript for making fire by rubbing wood.[6] The modern form тереть was first recorded in a dictionary in 1731.[3]

In the north тереть means to wipe one's hands and face and to wash linen.[7] Slang gives it the senses to do something hard, to go somewhere and to discuss or gossip about someone, and has бузу тереть “to kick up a row”.[8]

Timeline

  • 1144 – тьруще “rubbing” in the Galich Gospel.[6]
  • 1495 – rubbing wood to make fire, in a manuscript of Cosmas Indicopleustes.[6]
  • 1673 – теръ “rubbed” a chest with snow.[6]
  • 1731 – тереть in a dictionary.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To rub: to move something back and forth over a surface, pressing.[9][1]
  2. To grate or grind into powder or small particles: to grate horseradish.[9][1]
  3. Of tight shoes or clothes: to chafe, rub sore.[9][1]
  4. (regional) To wipe; to wash (linen).[7]
  5. (slang) To discuss or gossip about someone.[8]

Word family

  • тереться
  • вытереть
  • стереть
  • натереть
  • растереть
  • затереть
  • протереть
  • потереть
  • тёрка
  • трение
  • тёртый
  • Old East Slavic терети (tereti)

Usage notes

Vasmer has a separate тереть “to run” from Olonets;[10] Itkonen compared a Sami word, but it may be the same verb as this one.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 47–48
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 2, 412
  4. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 491
  5. ^ Shansky, N. M.; Ivanov, V. V.; Shanskaya, T. V. (1975), Kratkij ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Краткий этимологический словарь русского языка], 3rd ed., Moskva: Prosveščenie, p. s.v. тереть
  6. ^ 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. 29, s.v. терети
  7. ^ 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. 44, 73
  8. ^ a b Elistratov, V. S. (2000), Slovar' russkogo argo [Словарь русского арго], Moskva: Russkie slovari, p. s.v. тереть
  9. ^ a b c Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. тереть
  10. ^ a b Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 48