Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/jistъ

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

Cognates include Latvian ĩsts (“true”), also ĩstens, ĩstans, as well as Latin Istaevōnēs (name of an ancient Germanic tribe); see the Wikipedia entry on Istvaeones. Further cognates doubtful:

• Vasmer proposes a connection to Latvian īksts and Lithuanian áiškus (“clear”) (also found in the variants ýškus, éiškus, ýskus, ìščias), Old Armenian իսկ (isk, “in reality”), which are in turn related to Russian я́сный (jásnyj, “clear”).
• Stang (quoted in Vasmer) proposes a connection to Sanskrit ईशे (ī́śe, “I am in possession”), ईशान m (īśāná, “lord, wealthy”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌲𐌹𐌽 n (aigin, “property”), 𐌰𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (aigan, “to own, to have”), Old High German eigan (“own”) (whence German eigen, English own).
• Trubachev (quoted in Vasmer) subscribes to Toporov's theory that the original meaning of the Proto-Slavic adjective was "the same" and is cognate with Latin iste (“that (of yours)”), built from Proto-Indo-European *ís (“the”) + *só (“this, that”) (stem *to-; whence English the, that).

Adjective

*jistъ

1. true, genuine
2. same

See also

• *věrьnъ, *pravъ, *ščirъ, *rěsnъ, *ěsnъ

Derived terms

• *nejistъ, *nejistovъ
• *jistina
• *jistьcь

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: истꙑи (istyi)
    • Old Belarusian: истꙑи (istyj)
    • Russian: и́стый (ístyj, “true, real”)
    • Ukrainian: їсти́й (jistýj)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: истъ (istŭ, “true, real”)
  • Bulgarian: ист (ist, “the same”)
  • Macedonian: ист (ist)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: и̏стӣ (“the same”)

    Latin script: ȉstī (“the same”)

  • Slovene: ȋsti (“the same”) (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: jistý (“authentic, loyal, definite, reliable”)
  • Slovak: istý
  • Old Polish: ist, isty
    • Polish: isty, histy, ist
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: jisty

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “и́стый”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1981), “*jьstъjь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 08 (*xa – *jьvьlga), Moscow: Nauka, page 246