Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/byti

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

(deprecated template usage)

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *bū́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti (present) and *bʰúHt (other forms).

Verb

*bỳti impf

1. to be

Conjugation

Conjugation of *byti (athematic, suppletive)

infinitive	*byti
supine	*bytъ
verbal noun	*bytьje
participles	present	past	future
active	*sy	*byvъ	*bǫdy
passive	—	—	—
resultative	—	*bylъ	—
	present	future	imperative
1st singular	*esmь	*bǫdǫ	—
2nd singular	*esi	*bǫdešь	*bǫdi
3rd singular	*estь	*bǫdetь	*bǫdi
1st dual	*esvě	*bǫdevě	*bǫděve
2nd dual	*esta	*bǫdeta	*bǫděta
3rd dual	*este	*bǫdete	—
1st plural	*esmъ	*bǫdemъ	*bǫděmъ
2nd plural	*este	*bǫdete	*bǫděte
3rd plural	*sǫtь	*bǫdǫtь	*bǫdǫ
	imperfect	imperfective aorist	perfective aorist
1st singular	—	*běxъ	*byxъ
2nd singular	—	*bě	*bystъ, *by
3rd singular	*běaše	*bě	*bystъ, *by
1st dual	—	*běxově	*byxově
2nd dual	—	*běsta	*bysta
3rd dual	*běašete	*běste	*byste
1st plural	—	*běxomъ	*byxomъ
2nd plural	—	*běste	*byste
3rd plural	*běaxǫ	*běšę	*byšę

Derived terms

• *byto (“being, creature”)
• *bytъ (“entity”)
• *bytь (“culture, essence”)
  • *bytьje (“existence, being”)
• *bytьnъ (“essential, existent”)
• *bǫdęšče (“future”)
• *bydlo (“dwelling”)
• *bylь (“plant stem, stalk”)
  • *bylьje (“herb”)
  • *bylьkarjь (“herbalist”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: бꙑти (byti)
    • Belarusian: быць (bycʹ), ёсць (joscʹ)
    • Russian: быть (bytʹ), есть (jestʹ), суть (sutʹ) (archaic: есмь (jesmʹ), еси́ (jesí), etc.)
    • Carpathian Rusyn: буц (buc)
    • Ukrainian: бу́ти (búty), є (je) (archaic: єсьм (jesʹm), єси́ (jesý), єсть (jestʹ), etc.)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: бꙑти (byti) (єсмь (esmĭ), єси (esi), єстъ (estŭ) etc.)

  • Bulgarian: съм (sǎm) (си (si), е (e) etc.) and бъда (bǎda) (бъдеш (bǎdeš), бъде (bǎde) etc.)
  • Macedonian: е (e) (сум (sum)), си (si), е (e) etc.)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: би̏ти (сам, си, је etc.)

    Latin: bȉti (sam, si, je etc.)

    • Slavomolisano: biti
  • Slovene: bíti (sem, si, je etc.)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: být (jsem, jsi, je/jest etc.)
  • Polabian: båit
  • Old Polish: być (jeśm, jeś, jest/jeść etc.)
    • Polish: być (jestem, jesteś, jest etc.)
  • Slovak: byť (som, si, je etc.)
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: byś (som, sy, jo etc.)
    • Upper Sorbian: być (sym, sy, je etc.)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*byti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 03 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 155
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “быть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress