Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mьrknǫti

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

Per Derksen, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mirˀk-, from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥Hk-, from the root *merHk-. Cognate with Lithuanian mirksė́ti (“to blink”), mérkti (“to close one's eyes”) (1sg. mérkiu, 1sg. past mérkiau), Latvian mir̂kšķêt, mir̂kšêt (“to blink”), mir̃kšķinât (“to blink, to make a sign”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍃 (maurgins, “morning”). Vasmer adds Sanskrit मर्क (marká-, “solar eclipse”) as a possible, if uncertain, cognate. Chernykh adds as a cognate Old Irish mrecht (“multicolored, motley, spotted”) as well as Old Norse murta (“small trout”) < *mr̥Hk-t-, due to its spotted coloring and the exact correspondence with the previously mentioned Old Irish word.

Verb

*mь̀rknǫti impf or pf

1. to become dark, to darken

Inflection

Conjugation of *mьrknǫti, *mьrče, *mьrknetь (impf./pf., -C/n-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*mьrčenьje	*mьrknǫti	*mьrknǫtъ	*mьrklъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*mьrčenъ	*mьrknomъ
Active	*mьrkъ	*mьrkny

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mьrk(ox)ъ	*mьrče	*mьrče	*mьrknǫ	*mьrkneši	*mьrknetь
Dual	*mьrk(ox)ově	*mьrk(e/os)ta	*mьrk(e/os)te	*mьrknevě	*mьrkneta	*mьrknete
Plural	*mьrk(ox)omъ	*mьrk(e/os)te	*mьrkǫ, *mьrkošę	*mьrknemъ	*mьrknete	*mьrknǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mьrkněaxъ	*mьrkněaše	*mьrkněaše	—	*mьrkni	*mьrkni
Dual	*mьrkněaxově	*mьrkněašeta	*mьrkněašete	*mьrkněvě	*mьrkněta	—
Plural	*mьrkněaxomъ	*mьrkněašete	*mьrkněaxǫ	*mьrkněmъ	*mьrkněte	—

Notes:
• Aorist *mьrkeste ⇒ *mьrčeste, ...

Alternative forms

• *mьrťi

Related terms

• *mьrkati
• *mȏrkъ (“darkness”)
• *mьrkъ (“darkness? eclipse? twilight?”)
• *mь̀rkъ (“dark”)

Derived terms

• *pomьrknǫti

Descendants

*mьrknǫti:

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: мьркнꙋти (mĭrknuti)
    • ⇒ Belarusian: прыме́ркнуць (prymjérknucʹ)
    • Russian: ме́ркнуть (mérknutʹ)
    • Ukrainian: ме́ркнути (mérknuty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: мрькнѫти (mrĭknǫti), мръкнѫти (mrŭknǫti)
  • Bulgarian: мръ́кна (mrǎ́kna)
  • Macedonian: мркне (mrkne)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: мр̏кнути

    Latin script: mȑknuti

  • Slovene: mŕkniti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: mrknúti
    • Czech: mrknout
  • Polish: mierzchnąć
  • Slovak: mrknuť
  • Slovincian: mjêrzknõc

*mьrťi?:

• Ukrainian: ме́ркти (mérkty)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: мр̏ћи

  Latin script: mȑći

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “ме́ркнуть”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volumes 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 524
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ме́ркнуть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1994), “*mьrknǫti I/*mьrkt’i”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 21 (*mъrskovatъjь – *nadějьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 133