Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/děti

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 1

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *dḗˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁ti, from *dʰeh₁- (“do; put”).

Verb

*děti impf (perfective *děnǫti or *děvati)

1. (transitive) to do
2. (ditransitive) to put, to place

   → to put on (clothes)

3. (transitive) to thread, to hitch, to process
4. (reflexive) to happen

Alternative forms

• *dějati

Conjugation

Conjugation of *děti, *dě, *deďetь (perf., -unknown-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*dětьje	*děti	*dětъ	*dělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*dětъ	—
Active	*děvъ	—

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*děxъ	*dě	*dě	*deďǫ	*deďeši	*deďetь
Dual	*děxově	*děsta	*děste	*deďevě	*deďeta	*deďete
Plural	*děxomъ	*děste	*děšę	*deďemъ	*deďete	*deďǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	—	—	—	—	*deďi	*deďi
Dual	—	—	—	*deďivě	*deďita	—
Plural	—	—	—	*deďimъ	*deďite	—

Notes:
• In perfective verbs, present expresses future

Conjugation of *děti, *dě, *děnetь (perf., -V/n-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*dětьje	*děti	*dětъ	*dělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*dětъ	—
Active	*děvъ	—

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*děxъ	*dě	*dě	*děnǫ	*děneši	*děnetь
Dual	*děxově	*děsta	*děste	*děnevě	*děneta	*děnete
Plural	*děxomъ	*děste	*děšę	*děnemъ	*děnete	*děnǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	—	—	—	—	*děni	*děni
Dual	—	—	—	*děněvě	*děněta	—
Plural	—	—	—	*děněmъ	*děněte	—

Notes:
• In perfective verbs, present expresses future

Conjugation of *děti, *dě, *dějetь (?, -V-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*dětьje	*děti	*dětъ	*dělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*dětъ	*dějemъ
Active	*děvъ	*děję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*děxъ	*dě	*dě	*dějǫ	*děješi	*dějetь
Dual	*děxově	*děsta	*děste	*dějevě	*dějeta	*dějete
Plural	*děxomъ	*děste	*děšę	*dějemъ	*dějete	*dějǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*děaxъ	*děaše	*děaše	—	*ději	*ději
Dual	*děaxově	*děašeta	*děašete	*dějivě	*dějita	—
Plural	*děaxomъ	*děašete	*děaxǫ	*dějimъ	*dějite	—

Derived terms

• *jьzdě(ja)ti
• *nadě(ja)ti
  • *nada, *naděja, *nadeďa (“hope”)
• *odě(ja)ti
  • *odeďa (“garment”)
  • *odějadlo (“blanket”)
• *perdě(ja)ti (“to find a way to do”)
• *podě(ja)ti (“to go away”)
  • *sъpodě(ja)ti (“to anticipate”)
• *podъdě(ja)ti (“to undertake”)
• *sъdě(ja)ti
• *zadě(ja)ti
• *děkati (“to urge, to make (s.o.) to do”), *děkovati (“to joke around”)
• *dějь(inъ) (“agent, doer”)
  • *čarodějь (“wizard, sorceror”)
  • *ľubodějь (“adultererer”)
  • *lixodějь, *zъlodějь (“evildoer”)
• *dějьcь (“activist”)
  • *bolgodějьcь (“benefactor”)
• *dětь (“deed”)
• *dějьstvo, *dějьstvьje (“action”)
  • *dějьstvati, *dějьstvovati (“to take action”)
• *dělo (“act, work”)
  • *dělati (“to do, to hack”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: дзець (dzjecʹ)
  • Russian: деть (detʹ)
  • Ukrainian: ді́ти (díty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: дѣти (děti)
  • Bulgarian: де́я (déja) (archaic)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: дети

    Latin script: deti

  • Slovene: dẹ́ti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: dieti
    • Czech: dít
  • Old Polish: dziać, dzieć, dziejać
    • Masurian: dżiácz
    • Polish: dziać
    • Silesian: dziŏć
  • Old Slovak: diať
    • Slovak: diať
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: dzôc
    • Slovincian: dzoc
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: dźeć
    • Lower Sorbian: źaś

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “деть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “-детый”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1977), “*dě(ja)ti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 4 (*čaběniti – *děľa), Moscow: Nauka, page 229
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*děnь/*děnьje”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 12
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “дея”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 351
• Anikin, A. E. (2019) “деть”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), numbers 13 (два – дигло), Moscow: Russian Language Institute, →ISBN, page 302
• Anikin, A. E. (2019) “-дет”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), numbers 13 (два – дигло), Moscow: Russian Language Institute, →ISBN, page 286
• Anikin, A. E. (2019) “деница”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), numbers 13 (два – дигло), Moscow: Russian Language Institute, →ISBN, page 200

Etymology 2

See *dětь.

Noun

*děti f

1. children (plural of *dětь)

   Synonym: *dětьca

Usage notes

May have functioned as a plurale tantum in Proto-Slavic, with the singular handled by *dětę.

Declension

Declension of *dě̑ti (i-stem, accent paradigm c, plural only)

	plural
nominative	*dě̑ti
genitive	*dětь̀jь
dative	*dě̑tьmъ
accusative	*dě̑ti
instrumental	*dětьmì
locative	*dě̑tьxъ
vocative	*dě̑ti

^* The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: дзе́ці (dzjéci)
  • Russian: де́ти (déti)
  • Ukrainian: ді́ти (díty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: дѣти (děti)
  • Bulgarian: де́ти (déti) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: děti
  • Kashubian: dzecë
  • Polish: dzieci
  • Slovak: deti
  • Slovincian: ʒìe̯cä

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*děti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 14