Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/gnětiti

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

• *nětiti

Etymology

Unknown.

• Berneker: Proto-Indo-European *knoyt-, from the causative/iterative o-grade of *ken(h₁)- (“to scratch; scrape; rub”), thus from earlier *knětiti, connected to Old Prussian knaistis (“fuse (for burning)”), Old English *gnāst (“spark”) (from Proto-Germanic *ga- + Proto-Germanic *hnaistô (“spark”)). Further possible Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek κνῐ́ζω (knízō) and κνήθω (knḗthō) (both meaning "to scratch"), Latin cinis (“cold ash”), Ancient Greek κόνις (kónis, “dust, ash”), Sanskrit कण (kaṇa, “particle, small grain of dust or rice”).
• Boryś: probably a causative verb from *gnisti, but this verb is unattested. Old English gnidan as possible cognate. From Proto-Indo-European *gʰneytʰ- (“to rub”). Original meaning would be "rub wood on wood to ignite a fire".

Verb

*gnětìti impf

1. to ignite

Inflection

Conjugation of *gnětiti, *gněti, *gnětitь (impf., -i-, s-aorist, accent paradigm b)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*gněťenьje	*gnětiti	*gnětitъ	*gnětilъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*gněťenъ	*gnětimъ
Active	*gněťь	*gnětę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*gnětixъ	*gněti	*gněti	*gněťǫ	*gnětiši	*gnětitь
Dual	*gnětixově	*gnětista	*gnětiste	*gnětivě	*gnětita	*gnětite
Plural	*gnětixomъ	*gnětiste	*gnětišę	*gnětimъ	*gnětite	*gnětętь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*gněťaaxъ	*gněťaaše	*gněťaaše	—	*gněti	*gněti
Dual	*gněťaaxově	*gněťaašeta	*gněťaašete	*gnětivě	*gnětita	—
Plural	*gněťaaxomъ	*gněťaašete	*gněťaaxǫ	*gnětimъ	*gnětite	—

Notes:
• (*)*gnětivъ is a later doublet of the past active participle

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: гнѣтити (gnětiti)
    • Russian: гнети́ть (gnetítʹ) (dialectal)
    • Ukrainian: гніти́ти (hnitýty, “to ruddy (bread and other baked goods)”)
    • ⇒ Belarusian: загнет (zahnjet, “hearth of an oven”)
    • ⇒ Russian: загнетка (zagnetka, “place where hot coals are put in an oven; hearth of an oven”)
• South Slavic:
  • ⇒ Old Church Slavonic: възгнѣтити (vŭzgnětiti)
    • Church Slavonic (Russian recension): гнѣтити (gnětiti)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: није́тити

    Latin script: nijétiti

  • Slovene: netīti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: nietiti
    • Czech: nítit
  • Kashubian: niécëc, miecëc
  • ⇒ Old Polish: namiecić, podmiecić, rozmiecić
    • Polish: niecić, miecić (dialectal)
  • Slovak: nietiť

Further reading

• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982), “гнітити²”, in Етимологічний словник української мови (in Ukrainian), volume 1 (А – Г), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 539
• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “Proto-Slavic/gnětiti”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 359