весть

Russian

Alternative forms

• вѣсть (věstʹ) – Pre-reform orthography (1918)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vʲesʲtʲ]

• Audio

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Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *věstь.

Noun

весть • (vestʹ) f inan (genitive ве́сти, nominative plural ве́сти, genitive plural весте́й, diminutive ве́сточка)

1. news, piece of news, message; tidings

   пропа́сть бе́з вести ― propástʹ béz vesti ― to go missing (without a trace / unaccounted for)

   Ма́рко отовсю́ду несёт ему́ весте́й. ― Márko otovsjúdu nesjót jemú vestéj. ― Marco brings him news from everywhere.

2. (in the plural) news (presentation of news, e.g. on television)

Declension

Declension of весть (inan fem-form 3rd-decl accent-e) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ве́сть véstʹ	ве́сти vésti
genitive	ве́сти vésti	весте́й vestéj
dative	ве́сти vésti	вестя́м vestjám
accusative	ве́сть véstʹ	ве́сти vésti
instrumental	ве́стью véstʹju	вестя́ми vestjámi
prepositional	ве́сти vésti	вестя́х vestjáx

Etymology 2

Third-person singular present of Old Church Slavonic вѣдѣти (věděti, “to know”).

Verb

весть • (vestʹ)

1. (God) knows: only used in expressions, often with бог (box)

   Бог весть куда́ мо́гут привести́ таки́е мы́сли. ― Box vestʹ kudá mógut privestí takíje mýsli. ― God knows where these thoughts/ideas may take you (to).

   Synonyms: зна́ет (znájet), ве́дает (védajet)

Derived terms

• бог весть какой

References

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “весть”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress