Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/děti

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed words 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 1

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *dḗˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁ti, from *dʰeh₁- (“to do”).

Verb

*děti impf (perfective *děnǫti)

1. to do
2. to put, to place

   → to put on clothes

3. to thread, to pass through, to brace

Conjugation

Conjugation of *děti (present in *-j-, *-n- or reduplicated with *-j-)

infinitive	*děti
supine	*dětъ
verbal noun	*dětьje
participles	present	past
active	*děďę, *děję, *děny	*děvъ
passive	—	*dětъ
resultative	—	*dělъ
	present	imperative
1st singular	*děďǫ, *dějǫ, *děnǫ	—
2nd singular	*děďešь, *děješь, *děnešь	*děďi, *ději, *děni
3rd singular	*děďetь, *dějetь, *děnetь	*děďi, *ději, *děni
1st dual	*děďevě, *dějevě, *děnevě	*děďivě, *dějivě, *děněve
2nd dual	*děďeta, *dějeta, *děneta	*děďita, *dějita, *děněta
3rd dual	*děďete, *dějete, *děnete	—
1st plural	*děďemъ, *dějemъ, *děnemъ	*děďimъ, *dějimъ, *děněmъ
2nd plural	*děďete, *dějete, *děnete	*děďite, *dějite, *děněte
3rd plural	*děďǫtь, *dějǫtь, *děnǫtь	—
	imperfect	aorist
1st singular	*děděaxъ	*děxъ
2nd singular	*děděaše	*dě
3rd singular	*děděaše	*dě
1st dual	*děděaxově	*děxově
2nd dual	*děděašeta	*děsta
3rd dual	*děděašete	*děste
1st plural	*děděaxomъ	*děxomъ
2nd plural	*děděašete	*děste
3rd plural	*děděaxǫ	*děšę

Derived terms

• *děvati (“to pass, to get away”)
• *dějati (“to put into action, to get away”)
• *dělati (“to do, to hack”)
• *oděti (“to put on clothes”)
  • *odeďa (“clothing”)
• *naděďa (“hope”)
• *dějь (“agent, doer”)
  • *zъlodějь (“evil-doer”)
• *dějьcь (“activist”)
• *dětь (“deed”)
• *dělo (“act, work”)
• *děvъ (“thread”)
• *dobro-dějanъ (“virtuous”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: дзець (dzjecʹ)
  • Russian: деть (detʹ)
  • Ukrainian: ді́ти (díty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: дѣти (děti)
  • Bulgarian: де́я (déja)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: дети

    Latin: deti

  • Slovene: dẹ́ti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: dít (“to take place”)
  • Polish: dziać (“to happen”)
  • Slovak: diať sa (“to be done”)

From an extended form *dějati:

• Old Church Slavonic: дѣꙗти (dějati)
• Old East Slavic: дѣꙗти (dějati)
  • Belarusian: дзе́яць (dzjéjacʹ)
  • Russian: де́ять (déjatʹ)
  • Ukrainian: ді́яти (díjaty)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) , “деть”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubačóv, Moscow: Progress
• Trubačóv, Oleg, editor (1977) , “*dě(ja)ti”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ slavjanskix jazykov [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), volume 04, Moscow: Nauka, page 229
• Georgiev Vl. I., editor (1971) , “дея”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 351

Etymology 2

See *dětь.

Noun

*děti f

1. children (plural of *dětь)

Usage notes

May have functioned as a plurale tantum in Proto-Slavic, with the singular handled by *dětę.

Conjugation

Declension of *dě̑ti (i-stem, accent paradigm c, plural only)

	Plural
Nominative	*dě̑ti
Accusative	*dě̑ti
Genitive	*dětь̀jь
Locative	*dě̑tьxъ
Dative	*dě̑tьmъ
Instrumental	*dětьmì
Vocative	*dě̑ti

^* The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: де́ти (déti)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: дѣти (děti)
  • Bulgarian: де́ти (déti) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: děti
  • Polish: dzieci
  • Slovak: deti
  • Slovincian: ʒìe̯cä