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Glite Dictionary
Church Slavic

Church Slavic

9.9
A literary Slavic language that Orthodox churches use for worship and Bible translation
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : eslavo eclesiástico
  • The priest recited the prayers in Church Slavic during the service.

Examples

  • Many old manuscripts in Russia are preserved in Church Slavic.

  • The Church Slavic language has a rich history.

  • Biblical texts were first translated into Church Slavic in the 9th century.

  • Many texts were written in Church Slavic during the Middle Ages.

  • The priest read the scripture in Church Slavic during the evening service.

  • Many texts, such as religious hymns, were written in Church Slavic over a thousand years ago.

  • Linguists often study Church Slavic to understand the development of Slavic languages.

Synonyms

Church Slavic language
vsChurch Slavic
  • Literature
9.9

A Slavic language used in Orthodox church services, based on Old Church Slavonic from the 9th century

focuses on liturgical use in early Orthodox church rather than on origin
Old Church Slavic
vsChurch Slavic
  • Literature
9.9

An old written Slavic language used to translate the Bible for early Christians in the ninth century

is the liturgical form used in Orthodox worship rather than the historical language
Old Church Slavonic
vsChurch Slavic
  • Literature
9.9

An early Slavic language used in the ninth century to translate the Bible and other church texts

is used mainly for worship and liturgy rather than as the original historical form
Old Bulgarian
vsChurch Slavic
  • Literature
9.9

A very old Slavic language used in the 9th–11th centuries for early Bible translations

is used in Orthodox liturgy rather than as a long-term written language
Old Bulgarian language
vsChurch Slavic
  • Literature
9.9

A first Slavic written language used to translate the Bible and church texts in the Middle Ages

is the liturgical language for Orthodox services rather than a broadly used medieval literary tongue

Surface Forms

Church Slavic singular
Church Slavics plural

Morphology

church + Slavic

The meaning is directly compositional: 'church' (religious institution/liturgy) + 'Slavic' (relating to Slavic languages) yields a variety of Slavic associated with the church/liturgical use. This adjective-noun compound follows a straightforward semantic pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the basic meaning even if they lack historical detail.

Etymology

Church Slavic comes from early Christian churches that used a special Slavic language for prayers and Bible translations. In the 9th century, missionaries made a new alphabet and translated the Bible so people could hear it in their own speech, so today Church Slavic means the old Slavic language used in Orthodox 'church services' and 'religious texts'.