istota

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *jьstota. By surface analysis, isty +‎ -ota. First attested in c. 1450.

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /istɔta/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /istɔta/

istota f

1. (law) confirmation (certifying, stating, strengthening a legal act, submitting a declaration, certifying activity)
   • 1885 [c. 1450], Jan Baudouina de Courtenay, Jan Karłowicz, Antoni Adam Kryńskiego, Malinowski Lucjan, editors, Prace Filologiczne‎, volume IV, page 570:

     Gystoti experimentum

     [Jistoty experimentum]

2. (law) document of proof of eligibility
   • 1856-1870 [1466], Antoni Zygmunt Helcel, editor, Starodawne Prawa Polskiego Pomniki, volume II, number 3839:

     Pecunie sibi debuntur, ostendat aliquod jus al. *gistota[thy], quam super eandem domum habet

     [Pecunie sibi debuntur, ostendat aliquod jus al. jistotę[thy], quam super eandem domum habet]

• Polish: istota
  • → Old Ruthenian: истота (istota)
• Silesian: istota

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “istota”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Mańczak, Witold (2017) “istota”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000) “istota”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “istota”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “istota”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Inherited from Old Polish istota. By surface analysis, isty +‎ -ota.

• IPA^(key): /isˈtɔ.ta/
• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /isˈtɔ.ta/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔta
• Syllabification: is‧to‧ta

istota f (diminutive istotka)

1. (countable) being (living organism)
2. (countable) being (unreal thing with human or animal characteristics)
3. (uncountable) essence (most important and fundamental thing about something)

   Synonyms: ekstrakt, esencja, rdzeń, sól, substancja

4. (uncountable, literary) essence, being (totality of features that constitute being someone or something)
5. (uncountable, obsolete) certainty (sureness of one's belief)

   Synonym: pewność

6. (uncountable, obsolete, except in set phrases, medicine) matter (that which constitutes the body)
7. (countable, Middle Polish) foundation

   Synonym: fundament

8. (uncountable, Middle Polish) security, guarantee, assurance; reliability; protection
   1. (countable, Middle Polish) document assuring such security
   2. (countable, Middle Polish, law) type of warranty or surety
9. (uncountable, Middle Polish) existence

   Synonym: istnienie

10. (countable, Middle Polish) property, estate

    Synonyms: majątek, mienie

• → Old Ruthenian: истота (istota)

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), istota is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 21 times in scientific texts, 3 times in news, 20 times in essays, 6 times in fiction, and 7 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 57 times, making it the 1129th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.[1]

• istota in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• istota in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “istota”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “ISTOTA”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 19.09.2008
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “istota”, in Słownik języka polskiego‎
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “istota”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861‎
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1902), “istota”, in Słownik języka polskiego‎ (in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page 112