хотеть

Forms

хоте́ть (xotétʹ) impf (perfective захоте́ть, verbal noun хоте́ние)^[1] The present is irregular: хочу́, хо́чешь, хо́чет, but хоти́м, хоти́те, хотя́т.^[2] The pre-1918 spelling is хотѣ́ть.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic хотѣти (xotěti), beside хътѣти (xŭtěti), from Proto-Slavic *xotěti.^[1][3][4] The other Slavic forms are Old Church Slavonic хотѣти (xotěti) and хътѣти (xŭtěti) for Ancient Greek θέλω (thélō), Ukrainian хотіти (xotity), Bulgarian ща (šta) (from хъштѫ (xŭštǫ)), Slovene hoteti, Czech chtít and Polish chcieć.^[3] Vasmer reconstructs *xъtěti with the present *xotjǫ, the source of ⟨хочу⟩;^[3][4] Chernykh takes the reduced root as a Slavic innovation.^[3][4]

Chernykh calls it, like the other inherited words with initial /x/, etymologically difficult.^[4] The view he prefers, which Shaposhnikov, Shansky and Wiktionary share, relates it to хватать, as a root in ablaut with *xvatati (“to seize”);^[4][5][1] for the sense, compare Latvian gribēt (“to want”) beside Lithuanian griebti (“to seize”).^[4] Chernykh cites the north-western dialect охвота “desire” for an older /xv/,^[4] and Shansky and Bobrova give the development “to take, seize”, then “to seize what one wants”, “to want”.^[6]

Other comparisons are less safe, Vasmer says: with Armenian words for desire and joy and with Welsh chwant (“desire”) and Breton hoant, which assumes that Slavic ⟨ъ⟩ or ⟨о⟩ continues a syllabic nasal; with Ancient Greek χατίς (khatís, “need”); with Latin sentiō (“I feel”); and, as an expressive formation, with Lithuanian ketėti (“to intend”), which Chernykh rejects with Fraenkel.^[3][4] The conjugation of ⟨хочу⟩ has been traced to an Indo-European athematic optative.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chernykh's first Old Russian record is the treaty of Igor of 945, as the Primary Chronicle preserves it, where Sreznevsky gives the sense “to demand, seek”;^[4] Chernykh suggests this was the older meaning.^[4] The Ostromir Gospel of 1056–1057 has хотѣти for Greek θέλειν and βούλεσθαι “to wish, will”.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In Old Church Slavonic the verb with an infinitive could mean “to be about to”, the beginning of its use for the future, and with a dative and genitive “to wish someone something”.^[7][8] Vasmer refers хоть and хотя to it.^[3]

Shaposhnikov records хотѣти “to wish” and “to be close to (something)” from the 10th to the 17th century, хощу or хочу быти in Berynda's dictionary of 1627, хощу in Polikarpov's of 1704, and хотѣть from 1762 and 1771.^[5] The modern language adds the colloquial senses “to desire sexually” and “to ask (a price)”.^[9][10]

Timeline

• 945 – хотѣти “to demand” in the treaty of Igor, as the Primary Chronicle preserves it.^[4]
• 1056–1057 – хотѣти “to wish” in the Ostromir Gospel.^[3][8]
• 1627 – хощу or хочу быти in Berynda's dictionary.^[5]
• 1704 – хощу in Polikarpov's dictionary.^[5]
• 1731 – хотѣти обманщикомъ быти “to want to be a cheat” in a dictionary.^[5]
• 1762 – хотѣть in a dictionary.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To want, wish for, feel a need for (with the genitive or accusative, an infinitive, or чтобы): хочу воды, она хочет спать.^[2][11][1]
2. To intend to do something: он хотел уехать утром.^[11][9]
3. To strive for, seek to bring about: хотеть перемен.^[2]
4. (colloquial) To desire someone sexually.^[9][12]
5. (colloquial) To ask a price: сколько он хочет за машину?.^[10][12]

Word family

• захотеть
• хотеться
• хотение
• охота
• похоть
• прихоть

Related words

• хоть
• хотя
• хватать
• Old East Slavic хотѣти (xotěti)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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. хотеть
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 4, 270–271
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. хотеть
5. ^ a b c d e f Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 2, 499
6. ^ 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. хотеть
7. ^ a b Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 224
8. ^ a b c Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller, p. s.v. хотѣти
9. ^ 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. хотеть
10. ^ a b Kuznetsov, S. A. (ed.) (1998), Bol'šoj tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой толковый словарь русского языка], Sankt-Peterburg: Norint, p. s.v. хотеть
11. ^ 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. хотеть
12. ^ a b 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. хотеть