Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/pikati

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 1

Snoj tentatively derives it from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pey- (“to pierce”), whence Albanian pickoj (“to sting, to pinch”), Sanskrit स्फ्य (sphya, “spike, pointy tool”).

Onomatopoeic origin or perhaps borrowing are also possible. Compare Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to peck”), French piquer (“to sting”).

Verb

*pìkati impf (perfective *pìknǫti)

1. (transitive) to prick, to poke, to stuff

Conjugation

Conjugation of *pikati, *pika, *pikajetь (impf., -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*pikanьje	*pikati	*pikatъ	*pikalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*pikanъ	*pikajemъ
Active	*pikavъ	*pikaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*pikaxъ	*pika	*pika	*pikajǫ	*pikaješi	*pikajetь
Dual	*pikaxově	*pikasta	*pikaste	*pikajevě	*pikajeta	*pikajete
Plural	*pikaxomъ	*pikaste	*pikašę	*pikajemъ	*pikajete	*pikajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*pikaaxъ	*pikaaše	*pikaaše	—	*pikaji	*pikaji
Dual	*pikaaxově	*pikaašeta	*pikaašete	*pikajivě	*pikajita	—
Plural	*pikaaxomъ	*pikaašete	*pikaaxǫ	*pikajimъ	*pikajite	—

Related terms

• *pikъ
  • ⇒ *pičiti
• (possibly) *pьčati

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Macedonian: пика (pika)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: пи̏кати

    Latin script: pȉkati

  • Slovene: pīkati (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: píkati

Further reading

• Jiří Rejzek (2007) “pikat”, in Český etymologický slovník (in Czech), Leda, page 466

• Matasović, Ranko (2021) “pikati”, in Dubravka Ivšić Majić, Tijmen Pronk, editors, Etimološki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika [Etymological dictionary of the Croatian language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes II: O—Ž, Zagreb: Institut za hrvatski jezik i jezikoslovlje, page 123
• Skok, Petar (1971–1974) “pikati”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1–4 (A – Ž), Zagreb: JAZU, page 655

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic, from imitative root *pī- +‎ *-kati.

Antiquity uncertain.

Verb

*pìkati impf

1. (intransitive) to peep, to cheep

Conjugation

Conjugation of *pikati, *pika, *pikajetь (impf., -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*pikanьje	*pikati	*pikatъ	*pikalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*pikanъ	*pikajemъ
Active	*pikavъ	*pikaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*pikaxъ	*pika	*pika	*pikajǫ	*pikaješi	*pikajetь
Dual	*pikaxově	*pikasta	*pikaste	*pikajevě	*pikajeta	*pikajete
Plural	*pikaxomъ	*pikaste	*pikašę	*pikajemъ	*pikajete	*pikajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*pikaaxъ	*pikaaše	*pikaaše	—	*pikaji	*pikaji
Dual	*pikaaxově	*pikaašeta	*pikaašete	*pikajivě	*pikajita	—
Plural	*pikaaxomъ	*pikaašete	*pikaaxǫ	*pikajimъ	*pikajite	—

Related terms

• *piskati, *piščati
• *pijukati

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: пі́каць (píkacʹ)
  • Russian: пи́кать (píkatʹ)
  • Ukrainian: пі́кати (píkaty)
    • ⇒ Ukrainian: пікоти́ти (pikotýty)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: пи́кам (píkam), пипи́кам (pipíkam) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Polish: pikać
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: pikaś

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “пикать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “pikać”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 435
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “пікати”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka