Semantic Class "Self-Protection": Prefix and Confix Derivatives in Russian from 11th to 17th Centuries (Prefix от-, Confix от-...-ся)

Purpose: The study deals with historical word-formation issues. The goal is to retrace the historical formation of semantic class "Self-protection" of Russian verbs with the prefix “от-” end confix “от-...-ся”.
Methods: The research method is based on the analysis of denotative structure of prefixed verbs developed by N.B. Lebedeva.
Results: The idea of self-protection appears in statal perfect of verbs, which stems expresses the meaning of struggle (“битися”, “бранитися”) in contexts containing the circumstantial modus "resistance to threat". Prefix “от-” adds the semantics of
ablativeness of agens from a threat by the action denoted by the verbal stem, while postfix “ся”, which is a derivational element for most of the tokens, has indirect-reflexive value. The study detected the following subclasses: "physical self-protection"; "defend, waiting in hiding"; "self-protection through pleas or convictions". Semantic class "Self-protection" is formed during old Russian period based on verbs with the meaning of striking and gained
traction further.