Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vьrtъ

Instance noun of Proto-Slavic *vьrtěti (“to rotate, to turn”), parallel to the o-grade form *vortъ. Cognate with Latin vertex, vortex.

*vьrtъ m

1. turn, twirl, circular motion

   Synonyms: *vojь, *vьrtežь

• *vьrťаti
• *vьrtьcь, *vьrtikъ (diminutive)
• *vьrtъka (“change of direction, turn”)
• *vьrtenь (“turnaround”)
• *vьrtunъ (“fidget, pivot”)
• *vьrtuxa (“whirlwind”)

• *vьrtežь (“rotatoion, arcing”)
• *vьrtělь (“revolution, vortex”)
• *vьrtočь (“curl, torsion”)
• *vьrtъpъ (“whirlpool”)

• East Slavic:
  • ⇒ Russian: кругове́рть f (krugovértʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: врът (vrǎt), връц (vrǎc), връ́тка (vrǎ́tka)
  • ⇒ Macedonian: вртка (vrtka)
  • ⇒ Slovene: vŕtec (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Polish: wart

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “връц”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 191

Most likely from Etymology 1 via semantic shift revolution → enclosure → garden, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, to rotate”). Cognate with Tocharian B warto (“garden, enclosure, groove”).

Alternatively, per Brandt, possibly a back-formation from Proto-Germanic *wurtigardiz (whence Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍄𐌹𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃 (aurtigards), Old English ortġeard), with first element from the oblique stem of Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root, plant”). Usually dismissed since corresponding East Slavic descendants exhibit reflexes of Proto-Slavic *vьrtogordъ with root -ь- (rather than expected -ъ-).

*vьrtъ m

1. garden

   Synonyms: *gordina, *sadъ

• *vьrtogordъ (“orchard”)

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: врьтъ (vrĭtŭ), врътъ (vrŭtŭ)
  • Bulgarian: врът (vrǎt), ворт (vort) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: вр̏т

    Latin script: vȑt

  • Slovene: vȓt (tonal orthography)
    • ⇒ Slovene: vȓtek, vrtȉč, vrtáča (tonal orthography)

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “вертоград”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “врът²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 189
• Snoj, Marko (2016) “vrt”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si