Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dъbati
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
Uncertain. One hypothesis connects it to Latin dubāre (“to doubt”), Latin dubius (“dubious”), ultimately a derivative from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”). Along a similar line of logic is a potential connection to Proto-Slavic *dybati (“to meander, to get atop”), possibly a cognate with Proto-Germanic *tuppijô (“to be atop”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwe(m)b- (“top”).
Another option is a borrowing from Proto-Indo-Iranian[1] source, probably Scythian.
A third hypothesis is a possible metathesis of Proto-Slavic *bъděti (“to be awake”), under the influence of an earlier negated form *nebъda > *nedъba.
Some scholars also relate it to *deběti (“to stalk”) + *-ati, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰebʰ-, which would require an earlier proto-form *dьbati. The expected grade in this case is e-grade or ē-grade, however, 0-grade is not impossible, either.
Inflection
Verbal noun | Infinitive | Supine | L-participle |
---|---|---|---|
*dъbanьje | *dъbati | *dъbatъ | *dъbalъ |
Participles | ||
---|---|---|
Tense | Past | Present |
Passive | *dъbanъ | *dъbajemъ |
Active | *dъbavъ | *dъbaję |
Aorist | Present | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
Singular | *dъbaxъ | *dъba | *dъba | *dъbajǫ | *dъbaješi | *dъbajetь |
Dual | *dъbaxově | *dъbasta | *dъbaste | *dъbajevě | *dъbajeta | *dъbajete |
Plural | *dъbaxomъ | *dъbaste | *dъbašę | *dъbajemъ | *dъbajete | *dъbajǫtь |
Imperfect | Imperative | |||||
Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
Singular | *dъbaaxъ | *dъbaaše | *dъbaaše | — | *dъbaji | *dъbaji |
Dual | *dъbaaxově | *dъbaašeta | *dъbaašete | *dъbajivě | *dъbajita | — |
Plural | *dъbaaxomъ | *dъbaašete | *dъbaaxǫ | *dъbajimъ | *dъbajite | — |
Descendants
Further reading
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “дбать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dъbаti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 172
References
- R. Kim: Slavic-Iranian contacts. Linguistic relations, Encyclopædia Iranica, p. 13