звѣрѧ

Old Ruthenian

Alternative forms

• звѣрꙗ́ (zvěrjá), ѕвѣрѧ́ (zvěrjá), зверѧ́ (zverjá), звера́ (zverá), звѣра́ (zvěrá), звира́ (zvirá), звѣре́ (zvěré)

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic *звѣрѧ́ (*zvěrę́), from Proto-Slavic *zvě̄rę̀. By surface analysis, звѣръ (zvěr) +‎ -ѧ (-ja). Cognate with Czech zvíře, Old Polish źwirzę and Polish zwierzę.

Noun

звѣрѧ • (zvěrja) n (genitive звѣрѧты, nominative plural звѣрѧта, genitive plural звѣрѧтъ, related adjective звѣрѧчїй, diminutive звѣрѧтко)

1. animal, beast

   …из ловищи з малыми и з вєликими звєрѧты… ― …iz lovišči z malymi i z vjelikimi zvjerjaty… ― …from the hunt with small and with big animals…

2. creature

   …тож и мы, иж инша звѣрѧта розоумом и смыслом проходимо… ― …tož i my, iž inša zvěrjata rozumom i smyslom proxodimo… ― …so we too, which best other creatures with intellect and reason…

Related terms

Old Ruthenian terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰwer- (0 c, 2 e)

Descendants

• Ukrainian: звіря́ (zvirjá)

Further reading

• Hrynchyshyn, D. H., editor (1977), “*звѣрѧ”, in Словник староукраїнської мови XIV–XV ст. [Dictionary of the Old Ukrainian Language of the 14ᵗʰ–15ᵗʰ cc.] (in Ukrainian), volume 1 (А – М), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 391
• Hrynchyshyn, D. H., editor (2004), “звѣря, звѣрѧ, звера, зверѧ”, in Словник української мови XVI – 1-ї пол. XVII ст. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language of 16ᵗʰ – 1ˢᵗ half of 17ᵗʰ c.] (in Ukrainian), numbers 11 (затраченє – злечитисѧ), Lviv: KIUS, →ISBN, page 139
• Zhurawski, A. I., editor (1993), “зверя, звира”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 12 (зашкодный – злотницкий), Minsk: Navuka i tekhnika, →ISBN, page 83
• Tymchenko, E. K. (2002) “звѣря”, in Nimchuk, V. V., editor, Матеріали до словника писемної та книжної української мови XV–XVIII ст. [Materials for the Dictionary of the Written and Book Ukrainian Language of 15ᵗʰ–18ᵗʰ cc.] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1 (А – Н), Kyiv, New York: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S., →ISBN, page 310