Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/věděti

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

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *waid-, *waistei, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde (“to have seen, to know”), perfect of *weyd- (“to see”). Cognate with Old Prussian waist (“to know”) (waidimai class 1p. pl.), Ancient Greek οἶδα (oîda), Proto-Germanic *witaną (whence English wit).

Verb

*vě̀děti impf

1. to know, to be familiar/aware of
2. to foresee

Alternative forms

• *věsti

Conjugation

Conjugation of *věděti, *vědě, *věstь (impf., athematic -ě/C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*věděnьje	*věděti	*vědětъ	*vědělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*věděnъ	*vědomъ
Active	*věděvъ	*vědy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*věděxъ	*vědě	*vědě	*vě(mь/dě)	*věsi	*věstь
Dual	*věděxově	*věděsta	*věděste	*věvě	*věsta	*věste
Plural	*věděxomъ	*věděste	*věděšę	*věmъ	*věste	*vědętь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*věděaxъ	*věděaše	*věděaše	—	*věďь	*věďь
Dual	*věděaxově	*věděašeta	*věděašete	*vědivě	*vědita	—
Plural	*věděaxomъ	*věděašete	*věděaxǫ	*vědimъ	*vědite	—

There is partial evidence that *věsti ~ *věděti originally had a different set of inflectional endings from the standardly used active endings. Only 1p. sg. *vědě is securely attested, e.g. as part of:

Old Church Slavonic азъ боукꙑ вѣдѣ глаголити добро (azŭ buky vědě glagoliti dobro, “I know to speak letters well”)

which is formed by the names of the first five letters of the Glagolitic/Cyrillic alphabet.

Derived terms

• *vědati (factitive)

• *ověsti sę, *ověděti sę (“to get familiar with”)
• *perdъvěsti, *perdъvěděti (“to prelude”)
• *pověsti, *pověděti (“to decree, to preach”)
  • *zapovědь (“order”)
  • *propovědь (“sermon”)
• *sъvěsti, *sъvěděti (“to notify, to inform”)
• *věďa, *věděnьje (“knowledge”)
• *vědь (“awareness, prophesy”)
• *vědьma (“witch”)
• *věstь (“message”)
• *vědomъ (“aware”)
• *věščь (“proficient, wise”)
• *věstъ (“known”)
  • *nevěsta (“bride”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: вѣдѣти (věděti)
    • Belarusian: ве́даць (vjédacʹ)
    • Russian: (dated or poetic) ве́дать (védatʹ), ве́сти (vésti)
    • Ukrainian: (dated or poetic) ві́дати (vídaty), віді (vidi, “probably, maybe”)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: вѣдѣти (věděti)
    • Bulgarian: вям (vjam) (obsolete)
    • ⇒ Bulgarian: невя́м (nevjám, “uncertainly”, adverb)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: (Kajkavian) ведети

    Latin script: (Kajkavian) vedeti

  • Slovene: vẹ́deti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: věděti
    • Czech: vědět
      • Bohemian (Chod dialect): vedět
  • Old Polish: wiedzieć
    • Polish: wiedzieć
    • Silesian: wiedzieć
  • Slovak: vedieť
  • Polabian: vedĕt
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: wiedzec
    • Slovincian: wjêdzec
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: wěźeś
    • Upper Sorbian: wědźeć, wjedźeć

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “ве́дать”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 137
• Anikin, A. E. (2012) “вѣ́дѣти”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 6 (вал – вершок), Moscow: LRC, Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 165
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ведать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “вям, веш”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 140