Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/pěti

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *paitei.

• Per Derksen, from Proto-Indo-European *poyH-, from the root *peyH-. Cognate with Tocharian B pi- (“to sing, to make sing”).
• Per Vasmer, connections outside of Slavic are unreliable. Possibly connected with Ancient Greek παιάν (paián), παιών (paiṓn), Ionic παιήων (paiḗōn, “paean, hymn in honor of Apollo”); sometimes also compared with Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (faian, “to blame, to condemn”), Ancient Greek ἔμπαιος (émpaios, “knowledgeable, intelligent”).
• Per Trubachev, possibly originating as a causative of *piti (“to drink”), with the semantic change drink > sing going back to the pagan rite of sacrificial libation.
• A derivation from Proto-Indo-European *pey- (“to adore”) is also possible despite lacking direct semantic basis. If so, cognates include Latin pius (“pious, devout”) and Old English fǣle (“faithful, trusty, good; dear, beloved”)

The alternating Proto-Slavic stems *pě- and *poj- are regular outcomes of the original Proto-Balto-Slavic *pai- before consonants and vowels respectively.

Verb

*pěti impf

1. to sing

Conjugation

Conjugation of *pěti, *pě, *pojetь (impf., -V-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*pětьje	*pěti	*pětъ	*pělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*pětъ	*pojemъ
Active	*pěvъ	*poję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*pěxъ	*pě	*pě	*pojǫ	*poješi	*pojetь
Dual	*pěxově	*pěsta	*pěste	*pojevě	*pojeta	*pojete
Plural	*pěxomъ	*pěste	*pěšę	*pojemъ	*pojete	*pojǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*pojaaxъ	*pojaaše	*pojaaše	—	*poji	*poji
Dual	*pojaaxově	*pojaašeta	*pojaašete	*pojivě	*pojita	—
Plural	*pojaaxomъ	*pojaašete	*pojaaxǫ	*pojimъ	*pojite	—

Derived terms

• *pěsnь
• *pětьlъ/*pěvьnь/*pětuxъ/*pětelìnъ
• *pěvati
• *pěvъ
• *pěvьcь
• *piskati (“to squeak, to whistle”)
  • *piskъ (“scream, squeak”)
• *piščati (“to scream”)
• *pojьka (“chant”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: пѣти (pěti)
    • Belarusian: пець (pjecʹ)
    • Russian: петь (petʹ)
    • Ukrainian: пі́яти (píjaty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: пѣти (pěti)
  • Bulgarian: поя́ (pojá), пе́я (péja)
  • Macedonian: пее (pee)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: по̀јати, пе̏ти (dialectal, poetic)

    Latin: pòjati, pȅti (dialectal, poetic)

  • Slovene: pẹ́ti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: pět
  • Kashubian: piôc
  • Old Polish: pieć, piać
    • Polish: piać
  • Polabian: ṕot

References

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “петь”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volumes 2 (панцирь – ящур), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 28
• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*pěti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 398
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “пою́”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress