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. (perhaps originally) to blend words → to confuse, to perplex
2. to talk nonsense
3. 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.)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: блѧсти (blęsti)

    Glagolitic script: ⰱⰾⱔⱄⱅⰺ (blęsti)

    • ⇒? Bulgarian: бле́щя (bléštja, “to talk nonsense”) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: блести (obsolete)

    Latin script: blesti (obsolete)

  • Slovene: blésti
• 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), numbers 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, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “бледословен, бледословя”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, 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