Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kapati

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

Either of onomatopaeic origin (from the sound made by dripping water cap!) or an enlonged grade of Proto-Slavic *kopati (“to dig, to ditch”), akin to Lithuanian kapóti (“to hack, to chop”), Latvian kapât (“to chop”), and Ancient Greek κόπτω (kóptō, “to strike, to shake”). Often compared to Proto-Indo-Iranian *kapʰas (“phlegm, mucus”), which however may be from non-Indo-European substratum.

Verb

*kàpati impf (perfective *kapnǫti)

1. to drip

Inflection

Conjugation of *kapati, *kapa, *kapľetь (impf., -a/j-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kapanьje	*kapati	*kapatъ	*kapalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kapanъ	*kapľemъ
Active	*kapavъ	*kapľę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kapaxъ	*kapa	*kapa	*kapľǫ	*kapľeši	*kapľetь
Dual	*kapaxově	*kapasta	*kapaste	*kapľevě	*kapľeta	*kapľete
Plural	*kapaxomъ	*kapaste	*kapašę	*kapľemъ	*kapľete	*kapľǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kapaaxъ	*kapaaše	*kapaaše	—	*kapľi	*kapľi
Dual	*kapaaxově	*kapaašeta	*kapaašete	*kapľivě	*kapľita	—
Plural	*kapaaxomъ	*kapaašete	*kapaaxǫ	*kapľimъ	*kapľite	—

Related terms

• *kapъ (“culvert, drainage”)
  • *kapъka (“droplet, drop”)
• *kapь (“drop”)
  • *kapľa (“droplet”)
• *kapežь (“leakage”)

Derived terms

• *jьzkapati (“to drop out”)
• *zakapati (“to leak down, to rot”)
• *okapati (“to fall down”)
• *sъkapati (“to fall apart, to break down”)
• *prokapati (“to leak through”)
• *perkapati (“to drip a single droplet”)
• *prikapati (“to add a droplet”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: ка́паць (kápacʹ)
  • Russian: ка́пать (kápatʹ)
  • Ukrainian: ка́пати (kápaty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: капати (kapati)
  • Bulgarian: ка́пя (kápja)
  • Macedonian: капе (kape)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ка̏пати

    Latin script: kȁpati

  • Slovene: kápati (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: kapat
  • Kashubian: kapac
  • Polish: kapać

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ка́пать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1983), “*kapati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 9 (*jьz – *klenьje), Moscow: Nauka, page 144
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “капя, капвам, капна”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 227