Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kъto

See also: Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kъ(n)

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

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-

Proto-Indo-European *kʷós

Proto-Balto-Slavic *kas

Proto-Indo-European *só

Proto-Balto-Slavic *tas

Proto-Slavic *tъ

Proto-Slavic *to

Proto-Slavic *kъto

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *kas (“who”) + a particle *-to.

Pronoun

*kъ̏to

1. who (interrogative)

Declension

Declension of *kъto (pronominal, irregular)

All numbers	Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	*kъto	*čьto
Accusative	*kъto	*čьto
Genitive	*kogo	*česo
Locative	*komь	*čemь
Dative	*komu	*čemu
Instrumental	*cěmь	*čimь

Alternative forms

• *kъjь

Derived terms

• *někъto
• *nikъto

Related terms

• *čьto

See also

• *jь, *čьjь, *jьnъ, *kъjь, *onъ, *ovъ, *sь, *tъ, *vьśь
• *jakъ, *jьnakъ, *kakъ, *onakъ, *ovakъ, *sicь, *takъ, *vьśakъ
• *koterъ, *eterъ

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: къто (kŭto), кто (kto)
    • Old Ruthenian: хто (xto), кто (kto)
      • Belarusian: хто (xto)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: хто (xto)
      • Ukrainian: хто (xto); кто (kto), фто (fto) (dialectal)
    • Russian: кто (kto); хто (xto) (dialectal)
  • Old Novgorodian: кето (keto)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: къто (kŭto)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱏⱅⱁ (kŭto)

  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: тко̏ (Štokavian, Croatia), ко̏ (Štokavian, Bosnia, Serbia), кдо (Kajkavian)

    Latin script: tkȍ (Štokavian, Croatia), kȍ (Štokavian, Bosnia, Serbia), kdo (Kajkavian)

  • Slovene: kdọ̄ (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: kto, kdo
    • Czech: kdo
  • Old Polish: kto, chto
    • Polish: kto, chto (Middle Polish, Kuyavia, Podegrodzie, Żywiec), tko (Kuyavia), fto (Podegrodzie)
    • Silesian: fto, (Western Silesian) chto, (Southern Silesian) gdo, wto, kto
  • Old Slovak: chto, kdo, kto
    • Pannonian Rusyn: хто (xto)
    • Slovak: kto
  • Polabian: kåtü
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: chto
    • Slovincian: chtô
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: chto
    • Upper Sorbian: štó

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кто”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress