дете

Bulgarian

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)-

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Slavic *-tь

Proto-Slavic *dětь

Proto-Slavic *-ę

Proto-Slavic *dětę

Old Church Slavonic дѣтѧ (dětę)

Bulgarian дете

Inherited from Old Church Slavonic дѣтѧ (dětę), from Proto-Slavic *dětę.

Alternative forms

• дя́те (djáte), дя́тя (djátja) — Eastern dialects
• де́тя (détja) — Western dialects
• дѣте́ (děté), дѣ́те (dě́te) — Pre-reform orthography (1945)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [dɛˈtɛ]

  • Audio (Standard Bulgarian):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -tɛ
• IPA^(key): [ˈdɛtɛ] (dialectal)
  • Rhymes: -ɛtɛ
• Syllabification^(key): де‧те

Noun

дете́ or де́те • (deté or déte) n (relational adjective де́тски or дети́нски, diminutive дете́нце)

1. child, kid
2. (Rup dialects, Southwestern dialects) son, boy

Declension

Declension of дете́

	singular	plural
indefinite	дете́ deté	деца́, дечи́ня1, дече́та1, деча́1 decá, dečínja1, dečéta1, dečá1
definite	дете́то detéto	деца́та, дечи́нята1, дече́тата1, деча́та1 decáta, dečínjata1, dečétata1, dečáta1

¹Dialectal.

Declension of де́те

	singular	plural
indefinite	де́те déte	де́тета1, де́ца1, де́чина1, дя́ти1, де́ти1, де́ци1 déteta1, déca1, déčina1, djáti1, déti1, déci1
definite	де́тето déteto	де́тетата1, де́цата1, де́чината1, дя́тите1, де́тите1, де́ците1 détetata1, décata1, déčinata1, djátite1, détite1, décite1

¹Dialectal.

Derived terms

adjectives

• дети́нски (detínski)
• де́тски (détski)

nouns

• детегледа́ч m (detegledáč)
• дете́нце n (deténce)

References

• “дете”, in БЕРОН (Български езикови ресурси онлайн) [BERON (Bulgarian Language Resources Online)] (in Bulgarian), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2024
• “дете”, in Infolex Bulgarian Dictionary (in Bulgarian), Institute for Bulgarian Language, 2014
• “дете”, in ЛексИт [LexIt] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “дете”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “дете”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010

Further reading

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “дете”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 348 of 348-349
• Nayden Gerov (1895), “дѣте́”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 392

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *dętelъ

Old Church Slavonic дѧтелъ (dętelŭ)

Bulgarian де́тел (détel)der.

Bulgarian де́тле (détle)der.

Bulgarian дете

Derived from де́тле (détle), in a similar manner as мише́ (mišé) from мишле́ (mišlé, “little mouse”) and въше́ (vǎšé) from въшле́ (vǎšlé, “little louse”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈdɛtɛ]
• Rhymes: -ɛtɛ
• Syllabification^(key): де‧те

Noun

де́те • (déte) n

1. (Rup dialects) woodpecker (General term for the whole family Picidae or in norrower sense a term for genus Picus)

   Synonyms: кълва́ч (kǎlváč), (dialectal) де́тел (détel)

Usage notes

That declension table is purely theoretical, since it is unknown how exactly that word is declined.

Declension

Declension of де́те

	singular	plural
indefinite	де́те déte	де́тета déteta
definite	де́тето déteto	де́тетата détetata

References

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “де́те”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 349

Etymology 3

See де (de).

Alternative forms

• дя́те (djáte) — Eastern dialects
• дѣ́те (dě́te) — Pre-reform orthography (1945)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈdɛtɛ]
• Rhymes: -ɛtɛ
• Syllabification^(key): де‧те

Interjection

де́те • (déte)

1. (Western dialects) alternative form of де (de); let's; used only to address multiple people

   Де́те да яде́м ― Déte da jadém ― Let's eat

   Де́те да върви́м ― Déte da vǎrvím ― Let's walk

References

• Nayden Gerov (1895), “дѣ́те”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 392

Macedonian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dětę, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to suck, suckle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈdɛtɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtɛ

Noun

дете • (dete) n (plural деца, relational adjective детски, diminutive детенце or детуле, augmentative детиште)

1. child, kid

Declension

Declension of дете

	singular	plural
indefinite	дете (dete)	деца (deca)
definite unspecified	детето (deteto)	децата (decata)
definite proximal	детево (detevo)	децава (decava)
definite distal	детено (deteno)	децана (decana)
vocative	дете (dete)	деца (deca)

Derived terms

• детенце n (detence)
• детенцуле n (detencule)
• детинест (detinest)
• детинесто (detinesto)
• детински (detinski)
• детиште n (detište)
• детска f (detska)
• детска соба f (detska soba)
• детски (detski)
• детство n (detstvo)
• детуле n (detule)
• детуленце n (detulence)
• дечар m (dečar)
• дечарка f (dečarka)
• дечиња pl (dečinja)
• дечишта pl (dečišta)
• здетини (zdetini)
• здетинува (zdetinuva)
• подетини (podetini)
• раздетини (razdetini)
• раздетинува (razdetinuva)
• се вдетини (se vdetini)
• се вдетинува (se vdetinuva)
• се детини (se detini)

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

• дије́те (Ijekavian)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dětę, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to suck, suckle”).

Noun

де́те n (Latin spelling déte, relational adjective дѐчјӣ, diminutive дете́нце)

1. child, kid

Declension

Declension of дете

	singular
nominative	де́те
genitive	дѐтета
dative	детету
accusative	дете
vocative	де̑те
locative	детету
instrumental	дететом

This word has no plural, but the collective noun дѐца is used instead.