бѣсъ

Old Church Slavonic

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *běsъ (“demon, evil spirit”).

Noun

бѣсъ • (běsŭ) m

1. demon, evil spirit
2. (Christianity) pagan god
   • from the Homily against the Bogumils, 384-387:

     къто ли не веселитъ сѧ видѧ крьстꙑ на вꙑсокꙑихъ мѣстѣхъ стоѩщѧ на нихъже прѣжде жьрѣахѫ бѣсомъ чловѣци

     kŭto li ne veselitŭ sę vidę krĭsty na vysokyixŭ městěxŭ stojęštę na nixŭže prěžde žĭrěaxǫ běsomŭ člověci

     Who has not rejoiced to see crosses set up in high places, where once men sacrificed to demons?

   • Ретъко, editor (1025±50?), “бѣсомъ”, in Codex Suprasliensis‎^[2] (in Old Church Slavonic), page (leaf) 58.5, line 29:

     и҅ въшьдъ҆ нечь҆стивꙑи а҅нѳѵпатъ · въ цръквище а҅полоново · повелѣ привести с꙯тааго кодрата · и҅ прокꙑѩ приведеномꙿ же и҅мъ бꙑвъшемъ · ноуждаꙿше ѩ пожръти нечьстивꙑи҅мъ бѣсомъ ·

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of бѣсъ (o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	бѣсъ běsŭ	бѣса běsa	бѣси běsi
genitive	бѣса běsa	бѣсоу běsu	бѣсъ běsŭ
dative	бѣсоу, бѣсови běsu, běsovi	бѣсома běsoma	бѣсомъ běsomŭ
accusative	бѣсъ, бѣса běsŭ, běsa	бѣса běsa	бѣсꙑ běsy
instrumental	бѣсомъ běsomŭ	бѣсома běsoma	бѣсꙑ běsy
locative	бѣсѣ běsě	бѣсоу běsu	бѣсѣхъ běsěxŭ
vocative	бѣсе běse	бѣса běsa	бѣси běsi

Derived terms

• бѣсити (běsiti)
• бѣсование (běsovanije)
• бѣсовидьнъ (běsovidĭnŭ)
• бѣсовьнъ (běsovĭnŭ)
• бѣсовьскъ (běsovĭskŭ)
• бѣсьновати (běsĭnovati)
• бѣсьнъ (běsĭnŭ)
• бѣшение (běšenije)
• бѣшьнъ (běšĭnŭ)
• бѣшьньство (běšĭnĭstvo)

Further reading

• “бѣсъ”, in GORAZD [Old Church Slavonic Digital Hub], http://gorazd.org, 2016—2026

Old East Slavic

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *běsъ (“demon, evil spirit”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeːsʊ/→/ˈbʲeːsʊ/→/ˈbʲɛːs/, /ˈbʲeːs/

• (ca. 9^th CE) IPA^(key): /ˈbeːsʊ/
• (ca. 11^th CE) IPA^(key): /ˈbʲeːsʊ/
• (ca. 13^th CE) IPA^(key): /ˈbʲɛːs/, /ˈbʲeːs/

• Hyphenation: бѣ‧съ

Noun

бѣсъ (běsŭ) m

1. demon, evil spirit

Inflection

Declension of бѣсъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	бѣсъ běsŭ	бѣса běsa	бѣси běsi
genitive	бѣса běsa	бѣсу běsu	бѣсъ běsŭ
dative	бѣсу běsu	бѣсома běsoma	бѣсомъ běsomŭ
accusative	бѣсъ běsŭ	бѣса běsa	бѣсꙑ běsy
instrumental	бѣсъмь běsŭmĭ	бѣсома běsoma	бѣсꙑ běsy
locative	бѣсѣ běsě	бѣсу běsu	бѣсѣхъ běsěxŭ
vocative	бѣсе běse	бѣса běsa	бѣси běsi

Accent paradigm c, (deviation to accent paradigm b).

Descendants

• Belarusian: бес (bjes)
• Russian: бес (bes)
• Ukrainian: біс (bis)

Russian

Noun

бѣсъ • (běs) m anim (genitive бѣ́са, nominative plural бѣ́сы, genitive plural бѣ́совъ, relational adjective бѣсо́вскій, diminutive бѣсёнокъ)

1. Pre-1918 spelling of бес (bes).

Declension

Pre-reform declension of бѣсъ (anim masc-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	бѣ́съ bě́s	бѣ́сы bě́sy
genitive	бѣ́са bě́sa	бѣ́совъ bě́sov
dative	бѣ́су bě́su	бѣ́самъ bě́sam
accusative	бѣ́са bě́sa	бѣ́совъ bě́sov
instrumental	бѣ́сомъ bě́som	бѣ́сами bě́sami
prepositional	бѣ́сѣ bě́sě	бѣ́сахъ bě́sax