Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/mígtei

This Proto-Balto-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-Balto-Slavic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₃meygʰ- (“to drizzle”) with several hypotheses for original inflection:

• Ivanov, Mažiulis: From athematic root present *méigʰti ~ *migʰénti.
• van Wijk, Stang: Alternatively, reanalyzed from an earlier perfect *(me)móigʰe ~ *(me)migʰḗr.
• Villanueva Svensson: Possibly from Narten-type athematic present *mḗigʰti ~ *méigʰn̥ti in middle voice, paired with athematic aorist *méigʰt ~ *migʰént (whence 0-grades within later derivatives).

Reconstruction notes

Modern descendants have innovated various types of reanalyzed conjugations. Athematic inflection is attested in Old Lithuanian and Old Prussian.

The accent paradigm is based on Lithuanian and Serbo-Croatian (ap B per Illič-Svityč).

Verb

*mígtei

1. (per Derksen, probably) to flicker, to twinkle, to murk

   → to wink; to close, to screw one's eyes

   → (figurative) to doze, to slumber

Conjugation

Fixed accent, originally athematic: *méigti ~ *migínti.

Later descendants and related derivatives exhibit:

• n-infix present / ā-preterite: standard Lithuanian miñga (3p. pres.), mìgo (3p. pret.)
• thematic present / ā-preterite: dialectal Lithuanian miẽga (3p. pres.), mìgo (3p. pret.); standard Latvian mìeg (3p. pres.), mìga (3p. pret.)
• te-present / ā-preterite: dialectal Lithuanian miegta (3p. pres.), migo (3p. pret.)
• ste-present / jā-preterite: dialectal Latvian migst/miegst (3p. pres.), midza (3p. pret.)
• ī-present / ě-preterite: Proto-Slavic *mьžati (primary)
• enlonged-grade jā-present + preterite: Proto-Slavic *mižati (secondary, iterative)
• ne-present / nu-preterite: Proto-Slavic *mьgnǫti (inchoative)

Derived terms

• *migī́ˀtei, *migdī́ˀtei (secondary causative)
  • Baltic:
    • Latvian: midzinât
    • Lithuanian: mìginti, migdýti
  • Proto-Slavic: *mьžiti (> Russian мжить (mžitʹ)), *miždžati (> Serbo-Croatian ми́ждати)

Related terms

• *meigā́ˀtei (“to wink (Slavic); to sleep (Baltic)”) (factitive)
  • *meigás (action/resultant noun)
• *maigī́ˀtei (“to close eyes”) (primary causative)

Descendants

• East Baltic:
  • Latvian: migt (“to fall asleep, to make s.o. asleep”) (intransitive/transitive)
    • ⇒ Latvian: miêgt (“to close eyes”) (intransitive)
  • Lithuanian: mìgti (“to fall asleep”) (intransitive)
• West Baltic:
  • Old Prussian: miecte class 3p. sg. (“sleeps”)
• Proto-Slavic: *mьžati, *mižati (“to screw one's eyes, to keep eyes shut”) (intransitive)

Further reading

• “migti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė, 2007–2012
• Derksen, Rick (2015) “migti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 317
• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mьžati, *mižati I”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 344