< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/gajь
Proto-Slavic
Etymology 1
Of onomatopoeic nature, from the call *ga! + *-jь. Related to Proto-Slavic *gajati (“to caw, to croak”), from Proto-Indo-European *g⁽ʷ⁾eH-. Akin to Lithuanian gáida (“melody”).
Noun
*gajь m
- squeak (high-pitch call)
Alternative forms
- *gaja f
Declension
Declension of *gajь (soft o-stem)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
---|---|---|---|
Nominative | *gajь | *gaja | *gaji |
Accusative | *gajь | *gaja | *gaję̇ |
Genitive | *gaja | *gaju | *gajь |
Locative | *gaji | *gaju | *gajixъ |
Dative | *gaju | *gajema | *gajemъ |
Instrumental | *gajьmь, *gajemь* | *gajema | *gaji |
Vocative | *gaju | *gaja | *gaji |
* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.
Derived terms
- *gajьno (“gaggle, flock of birds”)
- *gajьvornь/*gavornъ (“raven, corbie”)
- *gakati (“to croak”)
- *gavati (“to bark, to cause commotion”)
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Russian: гай m (gaj), га́я f (gája) (dialectal)
- Ukrainian: гай (haj) (dialectal)
- ⇒ Ukrainian: гай-гай (haj-haj) (interjection)
- ⇒ Ukrainian: гаївка (hajivka, “mayfly”)
- West Slavic:
- Czech: haj (colloquial interjection)
- Slovak: haj (dialectal interjection)
Further reading
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “гай”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*gajь II”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 86
- гаївка in Горох.ua (Етимологія)
Etymology 2
Per Vasmer and Trubachev, most likely from a long-grade ablaut of *gojiti (“to nurture, heal”) + *-ъ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”). Perhaps originally meaning thicket or protected, safe spot. Berneker alternatively proposes a derivation from Proto-Slavic *gati (“to pass, to go”), presumably from an earlier meaning place where one can pass through.
Noun
*gãjь m[1][2]
- grove
- Synonyms: *oršča, *gǫstakъ
Declension
Declension of *gãjь (soft o-stem, accent paradigm b)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
---|---|---|---|
Nominative | *gãjь | *gājà | *gājì |
Accusative | *gãjь | *gājà | *gāję̇̀ |
Genitive | *gājà | *gājù | *gãjь |
Locative | *gājì | *gājù | *gãjixъ |
Dative | *gājù | *gājèma | *gãjemъ |
Instrumental | *gājь̀mь, *gājèmь* | *gājèma | *gãji |
Vocative | *gaju | *gājà | *gājì |
* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.
Derived terms
- *gajiti (“to nourish, to bring up, to feed, to supply, to secure, to protect”)
- Czech: hájit
- *zagajь, *gajьna (“thicket”)
- *gajьka (“nut, thread”) (possibly)
Related terms
- *gojiti (“to feed, to become obese”)
- *gojьnъ (“fat, saturated”)
- *žiti (“to live”)
- *živъ (“alive”)
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: гаи (gai)
- Belarusian: гай (haj)
- Russian: гай (gaj)
- Ukrainian: гай (haj)
- Old East Slavic: гаи (gai)
- South Slavic:
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: га̑ј
- Latin: gȃj
- Slovene: gāj (tonal orthography)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- West Slavic:
- Old Czech: háj
- Czech: háj
- Polish: gaj
- (Ślemień): gáj
- Slovak: háj
- Old Czech: háj
- Non-Slavic:
- → Lithuanian: gõjus
Further reading
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “гай”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*gajь I”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 85
- “gojus”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
References
- Olander, Thomas (2001), “gajь”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b (RPT 99)”
- Snoj, Marko (2016), “gaj”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar3 (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “*gajь̏”