In this bonus episode we explore a few odds and ends which didn’t make into the earlier episodes. Β We examine the Old English words related to knowledge and wisdom. Β And we also look at the original terms for the fingers.
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A friend alerted me to your podcast about a month ago and I find it absolutely fascinating. More importantly, I’ve become a patron on Patreon.
This episode on knowledge and wisdom was enlightening and reminded me of something when I studied Russian years ago. The vid/ved root also made its way east, as did the root med meaning honey so that a medved or bear is something that “knows honey”. And from that we also get the family name Medvedev.
Thanks for the interesting etymology. I assume that it is also the source of the surname ‘Medved’ as well? And thanks for supporting the podcast!
Yes, Medved has the same etymology.
Vedat’ (Π²Π΅Π΄Π°ΡΡ) is a kind of archaic synonym of znat’ (Π·Π½Π°ΡΡ, to know), wich is actually cognate to the same PIE root *Η΅nehβ-. So we see the very same substitution process in Russian! All derivative terms of Π²Π΅Π΄Π°ΡΡ also feel outdated or rare: nevedenie (Π½Π΅Π²Π΅Π΄Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅, ignorance), nevedomyj (Π½Π΅Π²Π΅Π΄ΠΎΠΌΡΠΉ, unknown), ved’ma (Π²Π΅Π΄ΡΠΌΠ°, a witch), etc.
However, the other derivative root from ved- is vest’ (Π²Π΅ΡΡΡ, a piece of news) is widespread in modern Russian as it produces words like izvestnyj (ΠΈΠ·Π²Π΅ΡΡΠ½ΡΠΉ, known), neizvestnyj (Π½Π΅ΠΈΠ·Π²Π΅ΡΡΠ½ΡΠΉ, unknown), povestka (ΠΏΠΎΠ²Π΅ΡΡΠΊΠ°, subpoena), etc. Sometimes it works as a substitution to vedat’ instead of znat’. For example, neVEDomyj (Π½Π΅Π²Π΅Π΄ΠΎΠΌΡΠΉ) is substituted with neizVESTnyj (Π½Π΅ΠΈΠ·Π²Π΅ΡΡΠ½ΡΠΉ), while neznakomyj (Π½Π΅Π·Π½Π°ΠΊΠΎΠΌΡΠΉ derivative ΠΎf znat’) has a more specific meaning “unfamiliar”.
Also, the original meaning of the root still prevails: to see is videt’ (Π²ΠΈΠ΄Π΅ΡΡ), an apparition is videnie (Π²ΠΈΠ΄Π΅ΜΠ½ΠΈΠ΅), vision (meaning “a look into future”) is videnie (Π²ΠΈΜΠ΄Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅), visible/apparent is vidimyj (Π²ΠΈΠ΄ΠΈΠΌΡΠΉ) β the list is quite long.