Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/delěti

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

Most likely from Proto-Indo-European *delh₁-, perhaps from its seconary meaning “to ply, to exploit” → “to finish off” → “to prevail” (compare *dьliti (“to prolong”), *dьlgъ (“long”)). Near cognate with Lithuanian délti (“to wane, to languish, to wear out”), dìlinti (“to use up”).

Daughter languages do not agree on the root vocalism: cf. verbal nouns Old Church Slavonic оделѣньѥ (odelěnĭje) (e-grade) : одолѣниѥ (odolěnije) (o-grade) both with the meaning “defeat”.

Verb

*delěti impf (perfective *delěvati)

1. to overcome, to prevail

Alternative forms

• *dolěti

Inflection

Conjugation of *delěti, *delě, *delějetь (impf., -ě-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Suffix: *-ěti

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*delěnьje	*delěti	*delětъ	*delělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*delěnъ	*delějemъ
Active	*delěvъ	*delěję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*delěxъ	*delě	*delě	*delějǫ	*delěješi	*delějetь
Dual	*delěxově	*delěsta	*delěste	*delějevě	*delějeta	*delějete
Plural	*delěxomъ	*delěste	*delěšę	*delějemъ	*delějete	*delějǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*delěaxъ	*delěaše	*delěaše	—	*delěji	*delěji
Dual	*delěaxově	*delěašeta	*delěašete	*delějivě	*delějita	—
Plural	*delěaxomъ	*delěašete	*delěaxǫ	*delějimъ	*delějite	—

Derived terms

• *dodelěti (“to tire out”)
• *nadъdelěti (“to overwhelm”)
• *perdelěti, *perdolěti (“to prevail”)
• *podelěti
  • *sъpodеlěti (“to cope, to deal with”)
• *odelěti, *odolěti (“to surmount, to defeat”)
• *sъdelěti (“to defeat”)
• *udelěti (“to vanquish”), *udolěti (“to overcome”)

Related terms

• *doľa (“share, fate”)
• *dьliti (“to prolong, to last”)
• *dьľa (“for, because”)
• *odolěti (“to overcome, defeat”)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: делѣти (delěti)
  • Bulgarian: деле́я (deléja, “to prevail, to defeat”) (obsolete; now found only in derivatives)

Further reading

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “делея”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 336
• “delti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*obdolěti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 26 (*novoukъ(jь) – *obgorditi), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 161