On the semantics of the word <i>lestvitsa</i>
Research of semantics of concrete lexemes fixed in monuments of Russian and Slavic writing is an important problem of modern historical lexicology. The attraction to historical-semantic researches of new hand-written sources helps to reveal new semantics of known lexemes or to specify their already known semantics. The historical-semantic analysis of the word lestvitsa is given in the article. The etymological analysis of the word lestvitsa shows that two different word meanings (a construction in the form of a number of steps for ascending and descending and a portable adaptation with steps for ascending and descending) are connected by origin with different semantic fields. These ancient semantic differences between usual and folding ladders are reflected in modern Slavic languages if the primordial word lestvitsa is absent. The word lestva became outdated in all Slavic languages, except Slovene. In Russian the ancient word lestvitsa was forced out by the new one, lestnitsa which appeared under the influence of nouns ending in -<i>nits(a) </i>(such as gridnitsa, kuznitsa, zvonnitsa). According to the historical dictionaries of Russian, the word lestvitsa has from two to four meanings. In words interpretation, the semantics of ladder, including ladder used at sieges, along with the meanings name of teaching compositions of John Climacus and book from the false ones can be specified. Thus, it is better to replace the name ladder used at sieges with accommodation ladder. The book from the false ones is understood as the apocryphal story <i>Jacobs Ladder</i>. Most often in writing monuments the meaning name of teaching compositions of John Climacus is fixed, as this book was extremely popular with the Slavic reader in the Middle Ages. Research of manuscripts and published texts has revealed word meanings of lestvitsa, which are not fixed in the available historical dictionaries of Russian. These are: ladder, Jacob saw in his dream, Symbol of Mother of God, prototype of Virgin Mary, way of virtues, souls way to heaven, family tree, list and name of monasteries. Mystical, symbolical meanings of lestvitsa go back to the Bible image, seen by patriarch Jacob. The Slavic word lestvitsa in its direct and figurative meanings reflects both subjects of material culture of ancient Slaves and the rich spiritual experience of the Bible and Byzantian teaching literature.