Old Russian words in the modern language are quite common, but sometimes they seem strange and incomprehensible to us. Fragments of ancient dialects have spread throughout the territory of distant Kievan Rus, they can mean the same words and concepts as thousands of years ago, they can slightly change their meaning, or they can be revived, taking on new, modern interpretations.
Old Russian or Old Slavic?
Journey to the ancient world can begin with commonly used words that are still found in modern speech. Mom, motherland, uncle, earth, wolf, work, regiment, forest, oak - Old Russian words. But with the same success they can be called both ancient Belarusian and ancient Ukrainian. Until now, they are found in these languages in almost the same form as thousands of years ago. Old Russian words and their meanings can be found in many monuments of Slavic literature. For example, the textbook "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" is a real treasure trove for collectors of various ancient words.
Probably should separate the Russians andcommon Slavic words, but it is not possible to do this in this article. We can only observe the development of an ancient word - from its original meaning to its modern one. And an excellent visual aid for studying such development can be the old Russian word "lov".
History of the word
"The Primary Chronicle" tells how Prince Vsevolod in 1071 on the lands of the city of Vyshgorod "worked animal catches". This word was also known in the time of Monomakh. In his "Instruction" Prince Vladimir says that he himself "kept a hunting detachment", that is, he kept stables, dog packs, tame falcons and hawks in order. The term "catching" was already a common word then and meant hunting, catching an animal.
Later, already in the 13th-14th centuries, the word "fishing" began to appear in testamentary documents. The legal lists mention "fish catches", "beaver catches". Here the word "fishing" is used as a reserve, a reserve - land in private ownership with great opportunities for hunting and fishing. But both in the old and in the new meaning, “catching” means hunting by catching an animal or fish. The root of the word remained the same.
Modern "catch"
In modern speech, the word "fishing" is also often found. Only it, like many other Old Russian words, is used in a truncated, different meaning - you can say “fishing for herring” or “autumn fishing for cod”. But we will never say “fishing for wolves” or “catching beavers”. For this, in modern Russian there is a convenient and understandable word "hunting". But as part of complexthe word "fishing" is found everywhere.
Children and grandchildren
Recall the words "mousetrap", "trapper", "trap" and others. After all, all this is the children and grandchildren of the old word "fishing". Some "children" of "fishing" did not survive the time and are now found only in ancient chronicles. For example, the word “lovitva” appeared much later than “lova”, but never took root in the Russian language. Lovitva was known in the 15th-17th centuries and was commonly used in the meaning of "hunting". But already in the time of Pushkin, this concept was not used.
For the contemporaries of the great poet, "catching" and "catching" are obsolete, inanimate words. Old Russian "tricks" do not exist in modern speech either, but when you see them in an old book, you can understand the meaning of this word without much difficulty.
"Nadolba" and "goalkeeper"
Old Russian words with translation can be found in many explanatory dictionaries. But what if the old word is used in a new, modern sense? Old Russian words and their meanings seem to change over time. A good example can be quite well-known ancient Russian literary words "nadolba" and "goalkeeper".
The word "nadolba" was known in the all-Russian military terminology many thousands of years ago. This was the name of the knocked together thick branches and logs - an impenetrable obstacle for infantry and cavalry in ancient, distant times. The advent of guns and cannons made both construction and the words themselves unnecessary. Old Russian warriors invented new effective methods for defense and attack, and "nadolby"had to be scrapped.
Thousand years later, at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the gouges returned from the past. Now they were built from reinforcing blocks, logs, construction debris. Such structures were designed to stop the advance of fascist tanks and disrupt the attack of enemy troops. After the war, the gouges were dismantled, but the word remained. Now it is found in many literary military works, in eyewitness accounts, in stories and novels about the war.
The word "goalkeeper" has also returned to the modern language. True, his story is far from being as heroic as that of the previous word. Goalkeepers used to be called modest monks-gatekeepers, who opened the gates of monasteries and temples in the morning and closed them at sunset, fearing dashing people. Goalkeepers have practically disappeared from our lives, but until a certain point. The development of collective sports, the success of our teams in hockey and football competitions have led to the emergence of modern "goalkeepers" - athletes who protect the gates of their own team from opponent attacks. Moreover, the word not only spread widely, but also put the foreign “goalkeeper” on both shoulder blades.
Vintage "airplane"
Do you think the word "airplane" was known during the time of Peter the Great? And not as a fabulous flying object (flying carpet), but as a very real engineering design? It turns out that self-propelled ferries were called airplanes in those days, allowing you to transport to anotherriver bank large carts with weapons and food. Later, the word turned into highly specialized jargon and began to be used in weaving.
A similar story happened with the word "bike". It turns out that it was used with might and main in medieval Russia - in Muscovy. So then called runners-walkers. Bicycles' surname probably translates as "Swiftfoot" rather than "belonging to a bicycle". Therefore, both the bicycle and the plane can also with great reason be attributed to the old, Old Russian words. Unlike catchy, these terms have survived several of their meanings, have become relevant in modern speech, however, they have completely changed their interpretations.
Shards of the past
Oddly enough, many modern dialects have become remarkable monuments of ancient word usage. Old Russian words, examples of which can no longer be found in the initial form, feel great in a fixed, unchangeable form. For example, everyone knows such words as "evil", "good luck". The derivatives of these concepts are not difficult to understand - "in spite", "at random". They have long become understandable and simple particles of speech.
There are also other words composed according to a similar principle. For example, "quickly". "obliquely", "sideways". But “slanting”, “backbone” or “hurry” are outdated words. Old Russian, their initial meanings are a headache for lexicographers and linguists.
Results
As you can see, Old Russian words and their meanings leave a wide field for research. Many of themmanaged to understand. And now, when we meet the words “vevelai”, “vedenets” or “lada” in old books, we can safely look up their meanings in dictionaries. But many of them are still waiting for their researchers. Only painstaking work with ancient words will help explain their meanings and enrich the modern Russian language.
