Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kovati

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 *kauˀ-, from Proto-Indo-European *kowh₂-, from the root *kewh₂-. Cognate with Lithuanian káuti (“to hew, to beat, to murder”), Latvian kaût (“to fight”), Latin cūdere (“to forge, to beat, to grind”), Old Norse hǫggva (“to hew, to beat”), Old High German houwan (“to hew, to beat”), Old Irish cuad (“to beat, to fight”).

Verb

*kovàti impf

1. to forge

Inflection

Conjugation of *kovati, *kova, *kovetь (impf., -a/C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kovanьje	*kovati	*kovatъ	*kovalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kovanъ	*kovomъ
Active	*kovavъ	*kovy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kovaxъ	*kova	*kova	*kovǫ	*koveši	*kovetь
Dual	*kovaxově	*kovasta	*kovaste	*kovevě	*koveta	*kovete
Plural	*kovaxomъ	*kovaste	*kovašę	*kovemъ	*kovete	*kovǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kovaaxъ	*kovaaše	*kovaaše	—	*kovi	*kovi
Dual	*kovaaxově	*kovaašeta	*kovaašete	*kověvě	*kověta	—
Plural	*kovaaxomъ	*kovaašete	*kovaaxǫ	*kověmъ	*kověte	—

Conjugation of *kovati, *kova, *kujetь (impf., -a/V-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kovanьje	*kovati	*kovatъ	*kovalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kovanъ	*kujemъ
Active	*kovavъ	*kuję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kovaxъ	*kova	*kova	*kujǫ	*kuješi	*kujetь
Dual	*kovaxově	*kovasta	*kovaste	*kujevě	*kujeta	*kujete
Plural	*kovaxomъ	*kovaste	*kovašę	*kujemъ	*kujete	*kujǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kovaaxъ	*kovaaše	*kovaaše	—	*kuji	*kuji
Dual	*kovaaxově	*kovaašeta	*kovaašete	*kujivě	*kujita	—
Plural	*kovaaxomъ	*kovaašete	*kovaaxǫ	*kujimъ	*kujite	—

Conjugation of *kuti, *ku, *kovetь (impf., -V/C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kutьje	*kuti	*kutъ	*kulъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kutъ	*kovomъ
Active	*kuvъ	*kovy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kuxъ	*ku	*ku	*kovǫ	*koveši	*kovetь
Dual	*kuxově	*kusta	*kuste	*kovevě	*koveta	*kovete
Plural	*kuxomъ	*kuste	*kušę	*kovemъ	*kovete	*kovǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kověaxъ	*kověaše	*kověaše	—	*kovi	*kovi
Dual	*kověaxově	*kověašeta	*kověašete	*kověvě	*kověta	—
Plural	*kověaxomъ	*kověašete	*kověaxǫ	*kověmъ	*kověte	—

Conjugation of *kuti, *ku, *kujetь (impf., -V-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kutьje	*kuti	*kutъ	*kulъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kutъ	*kujemъ
Active	*kuvъ	*kuję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kuxъ	*ku	*ku	*kujǫ	*kuješi	*kujetь
Dual	*kuxově	*kusta	*kuste	*kujevě	*kujeta	*kujete
Plural	*kuxomъ	*kuste	*kušę	*kujemъ	*kujete	*kujǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kujaaxъ	*kujaaše	*kujaaše	—	*kuji	*kuji
Dual	*kujaaxově	*kujaašeta	*kujaašete	*kujivě	*kujita	—
Plural	*kujaaxomъ	*kujaašete	*kujaaxǫ	*kujimъ	*kujite	—

Alternative forms

• *kùti

Related terms

• *kũznь (“smithy, smithery”)
• *kъznь (“art”)
• *kujati (“to crook, to cow”)
• *kyjь (“stick, club”)
• *podъkova (“horseshoe”)
• *kovanъ (“smitten”)
  • *kovanьje (“forging”)
• *(obъ)kovъ (“fitting, forging”)
• *kovačь (“smith, blacksmith”)
• *kovaľь (“blacksmith”)
• *kovařь (“blacksmith”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: ковати (kovati)
    • Belarusian: кава́ць (kavácʹ)
    • Russian: кова́ть (kovátʹ)
    • Ukrainian: кува́ти (kuváty)
  • Old Novgorodian: кова́ти (kováti)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: ковати (kovati)

    Glagolitic: ⰽⱁⰲⰰⱅⰹ (kovati)

  • Bulgarian: кова́ (ková)
  • Macedonian: кове (kove)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ко̀вати

    Latin script: kòvati

  • Slovene: kováti, kúti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: kovati
    • Czech: kout, kovat
  • Old Polish: kować
    • Polish: kuć, kować (dialectal)
  • Slovak: kovať, kuť
  • Slovincian: kôwac
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: kować
    • Lower Sorbian: kowaś

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “кова́ть”, 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 407
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кова́ть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1985), “*kovati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 12 (*koulъkъ – *kroma/*kromъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 10
• Miguel Villanueva Svensson (2011) “The accentuation of the infinitive type Latv. kal̃t, Sl. *kőlti and the development of Indo-European molō-presents in Balto-Slavic”, in Baltistica, →ISSN, page 311