Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xъrtъ

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

Related to Lithuanian kùrtas (“hound”), Lithuanian kur̃ts (“hound”), but unclear if cognate or loaned into.

According to majority viewpoint (Berneker, Brückner, Mladenov, Kopečný), a substantivized participle from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerH- (“to swing, to skip, to frisk”) + *-tъ, akin to Proto-Slavic *skorъ (“quick, sudden”), *čьrstvъ (“agile”) and genetic cognate with the Baltic terms. Attested in adjectival function in dialectal Russian хо́ртый пёс (xórtyj pjos). Possibly also related to Proto-Slavic *čьrtъ (“demon”), Lithuanian skėrỹs (“locust”), and further Ancient Greek σκάρος (skáros, “parrotfish”).

Alternative proposals:

• Machek: From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewr- (“to run”), akin to Proto-Slavic *ščurьcь (“rat, cricket”) and possibly Proto-Slavic *kurъ m (“rooster”), *kurica f (“hen”). Without s-mobile: cognate with the Baltic terms for hound and dialectal Lithuanian kùrti (“to run, to move quickly”).
• Trubačev, Vasmer: Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“faint”), akin to Russian мухо́ртый (muxórtyj, “speckled with gray spots”), тьмохо́ртый (tʹmoxórtyj, “dirty green”) and Lithuanian sar̃tas (“light bay”).
• Hirt: Borrowed from Proto-Germanic *hruþjô (“snot; dog”) (whence German Rüde (“foxhound”)). Dismissed by most Slavists.

Noun

*xъ̀rtъ or *xъ̑rtъ m

1. hound

Inflection

Declension of *xъrtъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*xъrtъ	*xъ̀rta	*xъ̀rti
genitive	*xъ̀rta	*xъ̀rtu	*xъ̀rtъ
dative	*xъ̀rtu	*xъ̀rtoma	*xъ̀rtomъ
accusative	*xъrtъ	*xъ̀rta	*xъ̀rty
instrumental	*xъ̀rtъmь, *xъ̀rtomь*	*xъ̀rtoma	*xъ̀rtȳ
locative	*xъ̀rtě	*xъ̀rtu	*xъ̀rtě̄xъ
vocative	*xъ̀rte	*xъ̀rta	*xъ̀rti

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Declension of *xъ̑rtъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*xъ̑rtъ	*xъ̑rta	*xъ̑rti
genitive	*xъ̑rta	*xъrtù	*xъ̃rtъ
dative	*xъ̑rtu	*xъrtomà	*xъrtòmъ
accusative	*xъ̑rtъ	*xъ̑rta	*xъ̑rty
instrumental	*xъ̑rtъmь, *xъ̑rtomь*	*xъrtomà	*xъrtý
locative	*xъ̑rtě	*xъrtù	*xъrtě̃xъ
vocative	*xъrte	*xъ̑rta	*xъ̑rti

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

• *xъrtъka, *xъrtica (feminine form)
• *xъrtovъ (“quick, agile”)
  • *xъrtovati (“to move quickly”)

Related terms

• *xъrlъ (“quick”) (possibly *xъrtlъ)
  • Old Church Slavonic: хрълъ (xrŭlŭ) (Serbian rendition)
• *aščerъ (“lizard”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: хъртъ (xŭrtŭ)
    • Belarusian: хорт (xort)
    • Russian: хорт (xort)
    • → Finnish: hurtta
    • Ukrainian: хорт (xort)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: хрътъ (xrŭtŭ) (Serbian rendition)
  • Bulgarian: хърт (hǎrt), хрът (hrǎt) (dialectal) (standard: хръ́тка f (hrǎ́tka))
  • Macedonian: 'рт ('rt)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: хр̏т

    Latin script: hȑt

  • Slovene: hȓt
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: chrt
  • Kashubian: chart
  • Polish: chart
  • Slovak: chrt
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: chart
    • Upper Sorbian: chort

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “хорт”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1981), “*xъrtъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 8 (*xa – *jьvьlga), Moscow: Nauka, page 148
• “kurtas”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012