Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kusiti

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

Borrowed from Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan). Brückner and Sławski do not exclude possible influence from native *kǫsati (“to take a bite”).

Bulgarian dialects also exhibit meaning “to scoop, to take up” (whence куся́м impf (kusjám, “to scoop with a spoon/laddle, to sip”), куса́ло (kusálo, “laddle”)).

Verb

*kùsiti pf or impf

1. (with perfective) to probe, to degustate → to taste
2. (with imperfective) to trial, to sample, to put under scrutiny

Alternative forms

• *kusati

Conjugation

Conjugation of *kusiti, *kusi, *kusitь (?, -i-, s-aorist, accent paradigm b)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kušenьje	*kusiti	*kusitъ	*kusilъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kušenъ	*kusimъ
Active	*kušь	*kusę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kusixъ	*kusi	*kusi	*kušǫ	*kusiši	*kusitь
Dual	*kusixově	*kusista	*kusiste	*kusivě	*kusita	*kusite
Plural	*kusixomъ	*kusiste	*kusišę	*kusimъ	*kusite	*kusętь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kušaaxъ	*kušaaše	*kušaaše	—	*kusi	*kusi
Dual	*kušaaxově	*kušaašeta	*kušaašete	*kusivě	*kusita	—
Plural	*kušaaxomъ	*kušaašete	*kušaaxǫ	*kusimъ	*kusite	—

Notes:
• (*)*kusivъ is a later doublet of the past active participle

Derived terms

• *kušati (intensive, interative)
• *nakusiti, *pokusiti (“to flavour, to zest”)
• *vъkusiti, *okusiti (“to taste, to savour”)
• *jьzkusiti (“to tempt”)
• *zakusiti (“to satiate one's taste”)
• *kusъ (“probe, trial”)

Derived terms

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: кусі́ць (kusícʹ)
  • Ukrainian: куси́ти (kusýty), куса́ти (kusáty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: коусити (kusiti)
    • Russian Church Slavonic: → кусити (kusiti, “to trail”)
  • Bulgarian: ку́ся pf (kúsja), ку́сам pf (kúsam)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (archaic)

    Cyrillic script: ку̏сити

    Latin script: kȕsiti

  • Slovene: kúsiti (obsolete)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: kusit (dialectal)
  • Old Polish: kusić (“to tempt”)
    • Polish: kusić (“to tempt”)
    • → Lithuanian: kùsyti (“to seduce”)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*kusiti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 13 (*kroměžirъ – *kyžiti), Moscow: Nauka, page 135
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “-кусить”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1989), “кусити”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volume 3 (Кора – М), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN, page 160
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “кусам”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 152