Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kyta

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

Disputed:

• Snoj (SES), Trubačev (ESSJa) interpret it as a resultant noun of *kyti (“to forge”) +‎ *-ta, probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kewh₂- (“to hew, to strike”) or *keh₁w- (“to swing”).
• Bernecker, Vasmer, Sławski presume origin from pre-Slavic *kypta < Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewp- (“to pluck”), related to Proto-Slavic *čupъ (“crest”), *kupъ (“heap”).
• Urbutis relates it to Lithuanian kū̃tė (“hideout, shelter”), kutỹs (“purse”), Latvian kūts (“hut”), from proposed Proto-Balto-Slavic *kuntāˀ, *kuntis. Further origin either from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, to wrap”) (cf. Ancient Greek σκῦτος (skûtos, “skin”)) or from the root for forging as above.

Noun

*kỳta f

1. bundle, bunch, bouquet

   → tuft, plait (of hair)

   → branch (with smaller twigs and leaves on)

   → (West Slavic) tail

2. decoration

Declension

Declension of *kyta (hard a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kyta	*kỳtě	*kỳty
genitive	*kỳty	*kỳtu	*kỳtъ
dative	*kỳtě	*kỳtama	*kỳtamъ
accusative	*kỳtǫ	*kỳtě	*kỳty
instrumental	*kỳtojǫ, *kỳtǭ**	*kỳtama	*kỳtamī
locative	*kỳtě	*kỳtu	*kỳtasъ, *kỳtaxъ*
vocative	*kỳto	*kỳtě	*kỳty

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Derived terms

• *kytiti (“to bunch up”)
• *kystь (“bundle, brush”)
• *kytъka, *kytica (diminutive)
• *kytina (augmentative)
• *kytajь (“inflorescence, decoration”)

Related terms

• *kupъ (“pile, heap”)
• *kuča (“stack”)
• *kustъ (“bush, shrub”)
• *kytъ (“sheaf, decoration”)
• *kyka (“pigtail”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: кі́та (kíta) (obsolete, dialectal)
  • Russian: ки́та (kíta) (archaic)
  • Ukrainian: ки́та (kýta)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: кꙑтa (kyta)
  • Bulgarian: ки́та (kíta, “bouquet, decoration”)
  • Macedonian: кита (kita)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ки̏та

    Latin script: kȉta

  • Slovene: kíta (“hair, wool”)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: kýta, kyta
    • Czech: kýta
      • Moravian (Mistřice): kita
  • Polish: kita
  • Slovak: kyta (“tail”)

References

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*kyta”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 13 (*kroměžirъ – *kyžiti), Moscow: Nauka, page 279
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кита”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1985), “кита”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volume 2 (Д – Копці), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 439
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “китa¹, кита²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 393
• “kūtė”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012