< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/męknǫti
 | 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
Cognate with Lithuanian mìnkyti (“to knead”), Latvian mîcît (“to knead”), Old English menġan (“to mix”), and more distantly with Lithuanian mánkyti (“to knead, to press, to crumple”).
- Derksen: From Proto-Balto-Slavic *manˀk-, from Proto-Indo-European *monHk-, from the root *menHk-.
- Vasmer, Trubachev, Chernykh: Further cognate with Ancient Greek μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”) (aorist passive Ancient Greek μαγῆναι (magênai)) < Proto-Indo-European *mn̥k-y-oh₂. Chernykh, quoting Pokorny[1], gives the root as *men(H)k-; Rix prefers non-laryngeal *menk-, despite the Balto-Slavic evidence for a laryngeal (which he notes). According to Derksen, quoting Chantraine[2], the Greek root could be either μαγ- (mag-) or μακ- (mak-), despite the aorist passive. Derksen, however, would rather derive the Greek word from a different root *meh₂ǵ-; see *màzati (“to oil, to smear, to anoint”).
Verb
*mę̀knǫti[3][4]
- to become soft
Inflection
Accent paradigm a.
- 1sg. *męknǫ
Conjugation of *męknǫti, *mękne, *męknetь (?, -C-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm a)
| Verbal noun | Infinitive | Supine | L-participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| *męknenьje | *męknǫti | *męknǫtъ | *męknlъ |
| Participles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tense | Past | Present |
| Passive | *męknenъ | *męknomъ |
| Active | *męknъ | *mękny |
| Aorist | Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Singular | *mękn(ox)ъ | *mękne | *mękne | *męknǫ | *mękneši | *męknetь |
| Dual | *mękn(ox)ově | *mękn(e/os)ta | *mękn(e/os)te | *męknevě | *mękneta | *męknete |
| Plural | *mękn(ox)omъ | *mękn(e/os)te | *męknǫ, *męknošę | *męknemъ | *męknete | *męknǫtь |
| Imperfect | Imperative | |||||
| Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Singular | *mękněaxъ | *mękněaše | *mękněaše | — | *mękni | *mękni |
| Dual | *mękněaxově | *mękněašeta | *mękněašete | *mękněvě | *mękněta | — |
| Plural | *mękněaxomъ | *mękněašete | *mękněaxǫ | *mękněmъ | *mękněte | — |
Related terms
- *mǫ̀čiti (“to torture, to torment”)
- *mę̏kъkъ (“soft”)
- *mǫ̀ka (“torture, torment”)
Descendants
- Church Slavonic: мѧкнѫти (męknǫti)
- East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: мѧкънꙋти (mękŭnuti)
- Belarusian: мя́кнуць (mjáknucʹ)
- Russian: мя́кнуть (mjáknutʹ)
- Ukrainian: м'я́кнути (mʺjáknuty)
- Old East Slavic: мѧкънꙋти (mękŭnuti)
- South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
- Cyrillic: (оумѧкнѫти (umęknǫti))
- Glagolitic: (ⱆⰿⱔⰽⱀⱘⱅⰻ (umęknǫti))
- Bulgarian: ме́кна (mékna)
- Macedonian: мекнее (meknee)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ме̏кнути
- Latin: mȅknuti
- Slovene: mẹ́kniti (tonal orthography) (obsolete)
- Old Church Slavonic:
- West Slavic:
- Czech: měknout
- Polish: mięknąć
- Slovak: mäknúť
- Sorbian:
- Upper Sorbian: mjaknyć
- Lower Sorbian: měknuś
Further reading
- Chernykh, P. (1993), “мя́гкий”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 1 (а – пантомима), 3rd edition, Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 552
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “мя́кнуть”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1992), “*męknǫti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 18 (*matoga – *mękyšьka), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 241
References
- Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 730–731
- Chantraine, Pierre (1968–1980), “μάσσω”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque (in French), Paris: Klincksieck, page 671
- Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mę̀knǫti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 314: “v. (a) ‘become soft’”
- Olander, Thomas (2001), “męknǫti: męknǫ męknetь”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a (SA 211; PR 133)”