Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/lęťi

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

Alternative forms

• *lękti (earlier, unassimilated form, as in Derksen, Chernykh, Vasmer)
• *lękťi (earlier, partly assimilated form, as in Trubachev)

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *lenk-. Cognate with Lithuanian leñkti (“to bend”), Latvian lìekt (“to bend”). Per Derksen, the root is limited to Balto-Slavic. Trubachev similarly dismisses as unreliable or unlikely various hypotheses of other scholars, e.g. connections with Latin oblīquus (“curved”), Sanskrit अभिव्लग् (abhivlag, “to catch”).

Verb

*lęťi

1. to bend

Inflection

Conjugation of *lęťi, *lęče, *lęčetь (?, -C-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*lęčenьje	*lęťi	*lęťь	*lęklъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*lęčenъ	*lękomъ
Active	*lękъ	*lęky

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*lęk(ox)ъ	*lęče	*lęče	*lękǫ	*lęčeši	*lęčetь
Dual	*lęk(ox)ově	*lęk(e/os)ta	*lęk(e/os)te	*lęčevě	*lęčeta	*lęčete
Plural	*lęk(ox)omъ	*lęk(e/os)te	*lękǫ, *lękošę	*lęčemъ	*lęčete	*lękǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*lęčaaxъ	*lęčaaše	*lęčaaše	—	*lęci	*lęci
Dual	*lęčaaxově	*lęčaašeta	*lęčaašete	*lęcěvě	*lęcěta	—
Plural	*lęčaaxomъ	*lęčaašete	*lęčaaxǫ	*lęcěmъ	*lęcěte	—

Notes:
• Aorist *lękeste ⇒ *lęčeste, ...

Conjugation of *lęťi, *lęče, *lęčetь (?, -C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*lęčenьje	*lęťi	*lęťь	*lęklъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*lęčenъ	*lękomъ
Active	*lękъ	*lęky

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*lęxъ	*lęče	*lęče	*lękǫ	*lęčeši	*lęčetь
Dual	*lęxově	*lęsta	*lęste	*lęčevě	*lęčeta	*lęčete
Plural	*lęxomъ	*lęste	*lęšę	*lęčemъ	*lęčete	*lękǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*lęčaaxъ	*lęčaaše	*lęčaaše	—	*lęci	*lęci
Dual	*lęčaaxově	*lęčaašeta	*lęčaašete	*lęcěvě	*lęcěta	—
Plural	*lęčaaxomъ	*lęčaašete	*lęčaaxǫ	*lęcěmъ	*lęcěte	—

Related terms

• *lękati, *lęcati (“to set traps, to scare?”)
• *lękъ (“bent”)
• *lǭčìti (“to separate”)
• *lǫčьje (“rush”)

• *lǭkà (“low-lying meadow”)
• *lǫkàvъ (“curved, cunning”)
• *lǫ̑kъ (“bow”)

Descendants

• Church Slavonic: лѧщи (lęšti)
• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: лѧщи (lęšči)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: léci (archaic); líct (dialectal)
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: lac (archaic)
    • Lower Sorbian: lěc

References

• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*lękti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 277
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1988), “*lękti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 15 (*lětina – *lokačь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 62