оунии

Old Church Slavonic

Alternative forms

• уне (une)
• ꙋне (une)
• оуне (une)
• оунѣе (uněe)
• оуньи (unĭi)
• оунѣи (uněi)
• оуньши (unĭši)

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *uňьjь (“better”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *auˀnijas, from Proto-Indo-European*wenh₁- (“to wish, love”).

Adjective

оун҄ии • (unʹii)

1. better, best
   • from the Story of Ahikar:

     ꙋне ты ѥ огьнемь горетии тресавицею нежели жити сь ꙁлою женою.

     une ty je ogĭnemĭ goretii tresaviceju neželi žiti sĭ zloju ženoju.

     It is better to be shivering from being set on fire, than to be living together with a wicked woman.

   • Excerpt from the Story of Boris and Gleb, line 37:

     Уне бы ми съ тобою умрети, неже уединену и усирену отъ тебе въ семь житꙇи пожити.

     Une by mi sŭ toboju umreti, neže uedinenu i usirenu otŭ tebe vŭ semĭ žitii požiti.

     It would have been preferable for me to die with you, and not to live out this life bereft of you and orphaned.

Related terms

• оунити (uniti)
• оунꙑньѥ (unynĭje)

Descendants

• Old East Slavic уне (une)

References

• Cejtlin, R.M.; Večerka, R.; Blagova, E., editors (1994), “”, in Staroslavjanskij slovarʹ (po rukopisjam X—XI vekov) [Old Church Slavonic Dictionary (Based on 10–11th Century Manuscripts)], Moscow: Russkij jazyk, page 740
• Derksen, Rick (2008) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 509