Old metrical records often include obsolete terms, presenting problems for those of us who are trying to interpret those records today. Particularly confusing are obsolete terms in languages in which we are not fluent.
Even the term “metrical” is confusing. Look up this term in a dictionary of the English language and you’ll find definitions such as:
metrical adjective
1: pertaining to meter or poetic measure
2: composed in meter or verse
3: pertaining to measurement
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/metrical
Many genealogists know that vital records or sacramental records in English-speaking countries are called metrical records in Eastern Europe and Russia. Despite the fact that some genealogists may consider these records to be poetry, metrical records document births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials.
The terms dziś (or dzisiaj), wczoraj, and przedwczoraj (meaning today, yesterday, and day before yesterday) are often found in Polish metrical records in phrases such as i okazał nam dziecię płci żeńskiej urodzone wczoraj (and he showed us a female child born yesterday). Usually, the record states that the child was born dzisiaj (today), wczoraj (yesterday), or przedwczoraj (day before yesterday). But, what if the child was born zawczoraj?
Old documents sometimes include words that were in common use at the time the document was written but have now fallen into disuse. I could not find the word zawczoraj in my modern Polish-English dictionary. Wiktionary includes a list of Polish terms with obsolete senses, but zawczoraj is not included in that list, either. Fortunately, Zawczoraj does appear in the Słownik wyrazów zapomnianych czyli słownictwo naszych lektur (Dictionary of forgotten words or the vocabulary of our readings).
Here’s what the Słownik wyrazów zapomnianych has to say about zawczoraj:
zawczoraj falling out of use «on the day before yesterday; the day before yesterday, the other day»: They sent for him the day before yesterday. RODZ. Dew 198. For example, the day before yesterday they had fun at my uncle’s music school until five o’clock in the evening… ORZESZ. Sylwek 237. The day before yesterday I wrote to you. KRASIŃ. Listy II, 151. // L
: I received your letter dated the 9th of this month three days ago. CHOPIN Wyb. 113. // SWil
Copyright © 2022 by Stephen J. Danko
