Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bьrati

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

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *bírāˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti. The past stem *bьr-a- emerged from zero-grade *br-a- through secondary ablaut.

Verb

*bьràti impf

1. to pick up
2. to take

Conjugation

• Iterative *birati

Conjugation of *bьrati, *bьra, *beretь (impf., -a/C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*bьranьje	*bьrati	*bьratъ	*bьralъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*bьranъ	*beromъ
Active	*bьravъ	*bery

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*bьraxъ	*bьra	*bьra	*berǫ	*bereši	*beretь
Dual	*bьraxově	*bьrasta	*bьraste	*berevě	*bereta	*berete
Plural	*bьraxomъ	*bьraste	*bьrašę	*beremъ	*berete	*berǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*bьraaxъ	*bьraaše	*bьraaše	—	*beri	*beri
Dual	*bьraaxově	*bьraašeta	*bьraašete	*berěvě	*berěta	—
Plural	*bьraaxomъ	*bьraašete	*bьraaxǫ	*berěmъ	*berěte	—

Related terms

• *borъ (“set, assembly”)
• *bermę (“labour”)
• *berďa (“pregnancy”)
• *berka (“whitebeam (Sorbus aria)”)

Derived terms

• *birati (intensive ablaut)
  • *sъbirati (“to gather, to sum”)
  • *nabirati (“to pick, to accumulate”)
  • *obirati (“to steal”)
  • *pribirati (“to collect”)
  • *podъbirati (“to select”)
  • *orzbirati (“to understand”)
  • *pobirati (“to stack, to hold”)
• *beračь (“picker, gatherer (agent)”)
• *beridlo (“picker, gatherer (tool)”)
• *berь (“act of picking”)
  • *berьba (“picking”)
  • *berьna (“sum”)
• *bьrakъ (“marriage”)
• *bьranь (“harvest, picking”)
• *bьrava (“lock, knot that locks gates”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: браць (bracʹ)
  • Russian: брать (bratʹ)
  • Ukrainian: бра́ти (bráty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: бьрати (bĭrati)

  • Bulgarian: бера́ (berá)
  • Macedonian: бере (bere)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бра̏ти

    Latin script: brȁti

  • Slovene: bráti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: bráti
    • Czech: brát
  • Old Polish: brać
    • Masurian: bracz
    • Polish: brać
    • Silesian: brać
  • Polabian: brot
  • Slovak: brať
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: brac
    • Slovincian: brac
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: brać
    • Lower Sorbian: braś

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*bьrati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 162