Where does “житьё-бытьё” come from?
житьё-бытьё (Russian) comes from Russian бытьё, from Old East Slavic бꙑтие, from Proto-Slavic bytьje, from Serbo-Croatian bȉti, from Proto-Slavic bìti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic bī́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyh₂- — to fear, be afraid; to strike, hit; to hew, cut.
житьё-бытьё (Russian): life
Definitions
- life
Ancestry of “житьё-бытьё”, step by step
житьё-бытьё traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Russian бытьё
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian | бытьё | Alternative form of бытиё |
| 2 | Old East Slavic | бꙑтие | being, existence |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | bytьje | existence, beinghood |
| 4 | Serbo-Croatian | bȉti | to be |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | bìti | to beat |
| 6 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | bī́ˀtei | to beat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeyh₂- | to fear, be afraid; to strike, hit; to hew, cut |