Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/gadъ

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

Commonly associated with Lithuanian gė́da (“shame”), Old Prussian gīdan (“shame, disgrace”), Proto-West Germanic *kwād (“dirt, mud; bad”), presumably from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeh₁dʰ- (“to defile”). Related native terms with root vowel *-y- (*gyda, *gydъkъ, etc.) evince for a possible obscure *-w- in the root, which gets assimilated by the labiovelar *gʷ- in non-zero grades: *gʷ(w)[e/o]H- ~ *gʷuH- + *-dʰ-. If right, then perhaps further akin to Proto-Slavic *govьno (“turd”), *gavědь (“unordered, disorganized group; wild stock”).

Less accepted hypotheses draw comparisons with Ancient Greek γάδος (gádos, “cod”), Latin gadus (“gadiform”) (whence English cod), often considered of substrate origin, or with Sanskrit नाग (nāgá, “serpent”) (per Machek).

Noun

*gàdъ m

1. creep (generic eerie or disgusting creature)

   → reptile, serpent

   → bug, pest, vermin

Alternative forms

• *gada f

Declension

Declension of *gàdъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*gàdъ	*gàda	*gàdi
genitive	*gàda	*gàdu	*gàdъ
dative	*gàdu	*gàdoma	*gàdomъ
accusative	*gàdъ	*gàda	*gàdy
instrumental	*gàdъmь, *gàdomь*	*gàdoma	*gàdȳ
locative	*gàdě	*gàdu	*gàdě̄xъ
vocative	*gàde	*gàda	*gàdi

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

• *gaditi (“to disgust, to loathe”)
• *gadovati (“to taint”)
• *gadina (augmentative)
• *gadǫka (“creep creature; type of snake”)
• *gadostь (“loathsomeness”)
• *gadьjь, *gaďь (“serpentine”)
• *gadьnъ (“disgusting, distasteful”)
• *gadovъ (“creepy, eerie, nasty”)
• *gadъkъ (“repulsive”)

Related terms

• *gadь f (“disgust”)
• *gydъ, *gyda (“filth, dirt”)
  • *gyditi (“to stain, to tar”)
  • *gydъkъ (“disgusting”)
  • *gyduxa (“creepy or disgusting creature”)
• *gvazdati (“to stain, to waste; to slander, to babble nonsense”)
• *žadati sę (“to dread”) (possibly)
  • >? *žasъ (“fright, awe”)
• *govьno (“turd”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: гадъ (gadŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: гадъ (had)
      • Belarusian: гад (had)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: гад (had)
      • Ukrainian: гад (had)
    • Russian: гад (gad)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: гадъ (gadŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰳⰰⰴⱏ (gadŭ)

  • Bulgarian: гад (gad) (standard); гат (gat) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: гад (gad)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: га̏д

    Latin script: gȁd

  • Slovene: gàd, gàda f
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: had
    • Czech: had
  • Kashubian: gôd
  • Polabian: god
  • Polish: gad
  • Slovak: had
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: had
    • Lower Sorbian: gad

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “гад”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “гад”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 175
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*gadъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 81
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “гад”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 222
• “gėda”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012