List of Latvian words borrowed from Old East Slavic

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This is a list of Latvian words borrowed from Old East Slavic (or its dialects where particularly ts–ch are merged) during 8th–13th centuries.

Dating

Sound changes in OES
Date	Change	Examples
800	no liquid diphthongs	before: xolpъ : kalps , xormъ : kārms
825	no nasals	...
...	...	before: у/ѫ : uo after: у/ѫ : ū, у : u
...	...	ѧ : ē
988?	yat ..?	before: ѣ : ē after: ѣ : ie
1200	yers fall	before: ь : i, ъ : u after: ь₁ : ?, ъ₁ : ?, ь₀/ъ₀ : _

Comparison of letters

Vowels
Old East Slavic Latvian	ъ—ь u—i	о—а a—a/ā	у o/ū	ѫ—ѧ o—ē	е—ѣ e—ē/iẽ	и ī/i/ìe	ꙑ ui

Consonants
Old East Slavic Latvian	р—л r—l	н—м—в n—m—v	б—п b—p	д—т d—t	з—с z—s	ж—ц ž—c	г—к—х g—k—k

Other
Old East Slavic Latvian	лꙗ ļa	ꙗ jã	кꙑ ķī	хꙑ ķī

List of words

List structure:

Old East Slavic: Latvian "meaning"
contain alternative/other form

Orthodoxy

крьстъ: krusts "cross". Possibly 'u' from Latin crux "cross".
божьница: baznīca "church".
говѣти: gavēt "to fast"
грамота: grāmata "book"
грѣхъ: grēks "sin"
хоругꙑ: karogs "flag, banner"
недѣлꙗ: nedēļa "week"
*свѧтъкъ : svētki "holiday, celebration"
свѧтъ: svēts "holy, sacred"
звонъ: zvans "bell"
поганъ: pagãns "pagan, heathen". Alternatively from Latin.

Society or government

рубежь: robeža "border, frontier"
сѫдъ: sods "penalty, punishment".
тълкъ: tulks "interpreter, translator"
погостъ: pagasts "parish?"
право: prāva "lawsuit?"
пълкъ: pulks "regiment"
страдати: strādāt "to work"
человѣкъ : cilvēks "human, person"
мѣсто: miẽsts "village"
боꙗринъ: bajãrs "boyar"
сѫди: sùoģis "judge"

Trading

търгъ: tirgus "market". Unless related ('ъ' > 'u' is expected).
безмѣнъ: bezmēns "steelyard"
цѣна: cena "price"
мꙑто: muita "customs (duty)"
скупъ: skops "stingy, miserly"

Household

кожухъ: kažoks "fur coat"
мѫка: mokas "torment, agony"
сума: soma "bag"
истъба: istaba "room (building)"
дуда: dūdas "bagpipe"
котьлъ: katls "boiler"
кꙑсель: ķīselis "kissel"
мѧтьлъ: mētelis "coat (garment)"
сапогъ : zābaks (zàbaks) "boot (footwear)".
жьзлъ: zizlis "wand, baton"
ножь: nazis "knife"
стькло: stikls "glass"

Other

*Кривъ: krìevs "Russian (person)". Compare Russian кривичи "Krivichs".
пустъ: posts
богатъ: bagāts "rich, wealthy"
думати: domāt "to think"
дума: doma "thought, idea, opinion"
умъ: oma "mood (mind)". Or at least partly inherited.
сулити: solīt "to promise"
хꙑтръ: neķītrs "obscene, dirty, lewd"
поваръ: pavārs "cook"
капуста: kāposti "cabbage"
сѣра: sērs "sulfur"
бѣда: bēda "sorrow, grief"

References

Bjørnflaten, Jan Ivar (2006). "Chronologies of the Slavicization of Northern Russia Mirrored by Slavic Loanwords in Finnic and Baltic". Slavica Helsingiensia. 27: 65–69.
^ Infantyev, Boris (2005). "Заимствования в латышском из русского". Балто-славянские культурные связи. Riga: Vedi. p. 18—21.
^ Young, Steven (2009). "Tone in Latvian borrowings from Old Russian". Stressing the past: Papers on Baltic and Slavic accentology. BRILL. p. 177. ISBN 9789042032170. Young.

Misplaced Pages