кевкстемс

Erzya

Etymology

From Proto-Mordvinic *keźə(v)-~*kiźə(v)-, from Proto-Finno-Permic *küśe-w-. The modern Erzya form possibly influenced by Erzya кевкстамс (kevkstams, “to get hard”).

Cognates include Moksha кизефтемс (kiźefťems), Finnish kysyä, Estonian küsida, Veps küzuda, Northern Sami gahčat, Akkala Sami кэһчче (kehčč’e).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲeu̯ksʲtʲems/

Verb

кевкстемс • (kevkśťems) (present кевксти, past кевкстсь)

1. to ask

   ки кевкстемс ― ki kevkśťems ― to ask for directions

   • 1865, Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann, Das Evangelium des Matthäus ersamordwinisch, page 48:

     Meile kevstinze synst Jisus: tšarkodink li tynk vese teń? Kortlit tenze: tšarkodinek, pazom.

     “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied.

References

• V. I. Ščankina (2011) Russko-mokšansko-erzjanskij slovarʹ [Russian-Moksha-Erzya Dictionary], Saransk, →ISBN
• Entry #1352 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.
• Keresztes, László (1986) Geschichte der mordwinischen Konsonantismus II. Etymologisches Belegmaterial‎^[1], Szeged: Studia Uralo-Altaica 26.