# Lithuanian: Rėdytoja



## chatkigazouille

Hello,

Could someone help me on this one thing? I am trying to find out what this word means: rėdytoja. I got it from a song about the Virgin Mary. Put in context:

O Rėdytoja, Dangaus aukštoja, Tu žiedų žiedas:
Skaisti lelija,  Pana Marija, Išmelsk mums gėdas.

I suspect this word comes from the verb rėdyti, but when I tried to find the definition (looks like it means to carry, to decorate), I became even less sure what rėdytoja means. From what I understand, this word functions as an agent (similar to užtarti -> užtarytoja = _someone who_ advocates intercedes)

Edit - intercedes, not advocates
Thanks!


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## Circunflejo

chatkigazouille said:


> I suspect this word comes from the verb rėdyti, but when I tried to find the definition (looks like it means to carry, to decorate), I became even less sure what rėdytoja means.



I don't speak Lithuanian but, due to the context, I suspect that the verb would mean to rule and redytoja could be translated as Queen. But that's just a wild guess by me (just in case that you wanted to research it) so wait for someone with actual knowledge.


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## AndrasBP

"Rėdytoja" is indeed from the verb "rėdyti". It is not to be found in any standard Lithuanian dictionary, because it is considered a dialectal Slavic borrowing that should be avoided in the modern language. Folk poetry is another matter, whatever the subject.

The verb means something like "to dress up nicely, to decorate, to embellish, to prepare for an event", so "rėdy*toja*" is a female who does these things. 
I'm not religious, so I can't explain the "poetic" meaning in relation to Virgin Mary.


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## mO_ok

I might be late to the party, but as a native Lithuanian I will give you my opinion. Rėdyti has also the meaning of 'put things in order, make sure things go smoothly' (cf. parėdyti). So in this context I would suggest it means a person who is in charge for the things to run smoothly. And I would also very much agree with the opinion of AndrasBP.


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## mO_ok

Also, you can find Rėdytojas  in the online Lithuanian language dictionary (lkz.lt).


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## AndrasBP

mo_Ok said:


> Also, you can find Rėdytojas in the online Lithuanian language dictionary (lkz.lt).


Thank you for the dictionary link. 
I looked up the word and it seems that it's archaic (and/or dialectal), mostly used in folk songs and religious texts.
Do you agree?


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## mO_ok

AndrasBP said:


> I looked up the word and it seems that it's archaic (and/or dialectal), mostly used in folk songs and religious texts.
> Do you agree?



Absolutely. I also noticed, that chatkigazouille's questions about Lithuanian language mostly refer to texts of ancient/religious origin.


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## chatkigazouille

Thank you @AndrasBP  and @mO_ok ; and thanks for the dictionary as well. 

The word Ponia, could it be a synonym for this word?


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## mO_ok

Rėdytoja by no means can be a synonym for Ponia. They all refer to the same being in this religious context, but are not semantically interchangeable.


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## AndrasBP

chatkigazouille said:


> The word Ponia, could it be a synonym for this word?


"Ponia" is just a feminine form of "ponas". These words can be used to mean "lady" and "lord", respectively, or as a formal way to address somebody, a bit like "sir" and "madam" in English.


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## mO_ok

AndrasBP said:


> "Ponia" is just a feminine form of "ponas". These words can be used to mean "lady" and "lord", respectively, or as a formal way to address somebody, a bit like "sir" and "madam" in English.


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