Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kyta

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

Disputed:

Snoj (SES), Trubačev (ESSJa) interpret it as a resultant noun of *kyti (“to forge”) +‎ *-ta, probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kewh₂- (“to hew, to strike”) or *keh₁w- (“to swing”).
Bernecker, Vasmer, Sławski presume origin from pre-Slavic *kypta < Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewp- (“to pluck”), related to Proto-Slavic *čupъ (“crest”), *kupъ (“heap”).
Urbutis relates it to Lithuanian kū̃tė (“hideout, shelter”), kutỹs (“purse”), Latvian kūts (“hut”), from proposed Proto-Balto-Slavic *kuntāˀ, *kuntis. Further origin either from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, to wrap”) (cf. Ancient Greek σκῦτος (skûtos, “skin”)) or from the root for forging as above.

Noun

*kỳta f[1][2]

bundle, bunch, bouquet
→ tuft, plait (of hair)
→ branch (with smaller twigs and leaves on)
→ (West Slavic) tail
decoration

Declension

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*kyta	*kỳtě	*kỳty
Accusative	*kỳtǫ	*kỳtě	*kỳty
Genitive	*kỳty	*kỳtu	*kỳtъ
Locative	*kỳtě	*kỳtu	kỳtasъ, kỳtaxъ^*
Dative	*kỳtě	*kỳtama	*kỳtamъ
Instrumental	kỳtojǫ, kỳtǭ^**	*kỳtama	*kỳtamī
Vocative	*kỳto	*kỳtě	*kỳty

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Derived terms

*kytiti (“to bunch up”)
*kystь (“bundle, brush”)
*kytъka, *kytica (diminutive)
*kytina (augmentative)
*kytajь (“inflorescence, decoration”)

Related terms

*kupъ (“pile, heap”)
*kuča (“stack”)
*kustъ (“bush, shrub”)
*kytъ (“sheaf, decoration”)
*kyka (“pigtail”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Belarusian: кі́та (kíta) (obsolete, dialectal)
- Russian: ки́та (kíta) (archaic)
- Ukrainian: ки́та (kýta)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: кꙑтa (kyta)
- Bulgarian: ки́та (kíta, “bouquet, decoration”)
- Macedonian: кита (kita)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: ки̏та
  Latin: kȉta
- Slovene: kíta (“hair, wool”)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: kýta
  - Czech: kýta
    - Moravian (Mistřice): kita
- Polish: kita
- Slovak: kyta (“tail”)

References

Olander, Thomas (2001), “kyta”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a (SA 155)”
Snoj, Marko (2016), “kita”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar³ (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *ky̋ta”

Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*kyta”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 13 (*kroměžirъ – *kyžiti), Moscow: Nauka, page 279
Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “кита”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1985), “кита”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volume 2 (Д – Копці), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 439
Georgiev V. I., editor (1979), “китa¹, кита²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 393
“kūtė”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012

[1] Olander, Thomas (2001), “kyta”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a (SA 155)”

[2] Snoj, Marko (2016), “kita”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar³ (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *ky̋ta”