Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/běkati

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

Alternative reconstructions

• *bekati (per ESSJa)

Etymology

Of onomatopoeic origin, from the interjection *be-e-e (“baa”) +‎ *-kati. Technically reflecting Proto-Indo-European *beh₁- (“to bleat”).

Verb

*běkati impf (perfective *běknǫti)

1. to bleat, to yell

Alternative forms

• *bekotati, *begotati

Conjugation

Conjugation of *běkati, *běka, *běčetь (impf., -V/C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*běkatьje	*běkati	*běkatъ	*běkalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*běkatъ	*běčomъ
Active	*běkavъ	*běčy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*běkaxъ	*běka	*běka	*běčǫ	*běčeši	*běčetь
Dual	*běkaxově	*běkasta	*běkaste	*běčevě	*běčeta	*běčete
Plural	*běkaxomъ	*běkaste	*běkašę	*běčemъ	*běčete	*běčǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*běčěaxъ	*běčěaše	*běčěaše	—	*běči	*běči
Dual	*běčěaxově	*běčěašeta	*běčěašete	*běčěvě	*běčěta	—
Plural	*běčěaxomъ	*běčěašete	*běčěaxǫ	*běčěmъ	*běčěte	—

Conjugation of *běkati, *běka, *běkajetь (impf., -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*běkanьje	*běkati	*běkatъ	*běkalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*běkanъ	*běkajemъ
Active	*běkavъ	*běkaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*běkaxъ	*běka	*běka	*běkajǫ	*běkaješi	*běkajetь
Dual	*běkaxově	*běkasta	*běkaste	*běkajevě	*běkajeta	*běkajete
Plural	*běkaxomъ	*běkaste	*běkašę	*běkajemъ	*běkajete	*běkajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*běkaaxъ	*běkaaše	*běkaaše	—	*běkaji	*běkaji
Dual	*běkaaxově	*běkaašeta	*běkaašete	*běkajivě	*běkajita	—
Plural	*běkaaxomъ	*běkaašete	*běkaaxǫ	*běkajimъ	*běkajite	—

Related terms

• *běkъ (“bleat, cry”)
• *bekotъ (“bleat”)
• *běka (“sheep, type of plant”)
• *bějьka (“sheep”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: бе́кать (békatʹ), dial. бекета́ть (beketátʹ)
  • Ukrainian: бегетати (behetaty)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: бе́ча (béča) (baby-word)
  • Macedonian: бека (beka)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бе́кати

    Latin script: békati

  • Slovene: bekáti, begetáti
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: bekati
  • Polish: bekać (“to burp”)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*bekati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 183
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “бее”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 39