< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/blęsti
 | 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
Per Fraenkel, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *blenstei, typically derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlendʰ- (“to blend, to stir”). Baltic cognates include Lithuanian blę̃sti (“to add ingredients and stir; to babble nonsense”), possibly Latvian bliêzt (“to struggle to perceive”).
Alternative hypotheses suggest expressive or onomatopoeic origin:
- Machek: Related to Lithuanian blódėti (“to babble”), Latvian bladēt (“id.”), possible also Ancient Greek φλέδων (phlédōn, “babbler”), φληνύω (phlēnúō, “to babble”) (per Beekes, probably of Pre-Greek origin).
- Seebold: From Proto-Indo-European *mlendʰ-, an extention of *(s)mel- (“false, erroneous”) (whence Lithuanian mẽlas (“lie”)) or *melh₂- (“to grind”).
Verb
*blęstì[1][2][3]
- (perhaps originally) to blend words → to confuse, to perplex
- to talk nonsense
- to err, to deceive (with words)
Conjugation
Conjugation of *blęsti, *blęde, *blędetь (impf., intr., -C-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm c)
| Verbal noun | Infinitive | Supine | L-participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| *blędenьje | *blęsti | *blęstъ | *blędlъ |
| Participles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tense | Past | Present |
| Passive | — | — |
| Active | *blędъ | *blędy |
| Aorist | Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Singular | *blęd(ox)ъ | *blęde | *blęde | *blędǫ | *blędeši | *blędetь |
| Dual | *blęd(ox)ově | *blęd(e/os)ta | *blęd(e/os)te | *blędevě | *blędeta | *blędete |
| Plural | *blęd(ox)omъ | *blęd(e/os)te | *blędǫ, *blędošę | *blędemъ | *blędete | *blędǫtь |
| Imperfect | Imperative | |||||
| Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Singular | *blęděaxъ | *blęděaše | *blęděaše | — | *blędi | *blędi |
| Dual | *blęděaxově | *blęděašeta | *blęděašete | *blęděvě | *blęděta | — |
| Plural | *blęděaxomъ | *blęděašete | *blęděaxǫ | *blęděmъ | *blęděte | — |
Related terms
Proto-Slavic terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰlendʰ- (0 c, 8 e)
Derived terms
- *blędati (“to cause commotion, confusion”)
- *blędь (“deception”)
- *blędoslovьje (“blathering”), *blędina (“nonsense”)
- *blędьnъ (“deceptive”)
- *blędostь (“falsehood, deceptiveness”)
- *blędìvъ(jь) (“babbling, blathering”)
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: блѧсти (blęsti)
- Old Ukrainian: блѧсти (bljasti) (early 17th cent.)[4]
- Old East Slavic: блѧсти (blęsti)
- South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
- Old Cyrillic: блѧсти (blęsti)
- Glagolitic: ⰱⰾⱔⱄⱅⰺ (blęsti)
- ⇒? Bulgarian: бле́щя (bléštja, “to talk nonsense”) (dialectal)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: блести (obsolete)
- Latin: blesti (obsolete)
- Slovene: blésti
- Old Church Slavonic:
- West Slavic:
- Old Czech: blésti
- Polish: blęść (dialectal)
Further reading
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1975), “*blęsti, *blędǫ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 2 (*bez – *bratrъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 115
- Anikin, A. E. (2009), “блѧсти, блѧдꙋ”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 3 (бе – болдыхать), Moscow: Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 279
- Georgiev V. I., editor (1971), “бледословен, бледословя”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 55
- “blęsti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
- “blodėti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
References
- Derksen, Rick (2008), “*blęsti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 44: “v. ‘talk nonsense, err’”
- Olander, Thomas (2001), “blędǫ blęsti(?)”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “c tage fejl (PR 139)”
- Snoj, Marko (2016), “blesti”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar3 (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *blęsti̋, sed. *blę̑dǫ”
- Hrynchyshyn, D. H., editor (1994), “блѧсти”, in Словник української мови XVI – I пол. XVII ст. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: 16ᵗʰ – 1ˢᵗ half of 17ᵗʰ c.] (in Ukrainian), issue 2 (б – богуславецъ), Lviv: Krypiakevych I.U.S., →ISBN, page 130