Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/lьstь

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

According to Derksen, ‘probably’ a borrowing from Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (lists), from Proto-Germanic *listiz. Pronk-Tiethoff points out that while morphologically a West-Germanic origin cannot be fully ruled out, the semantics in Slavic better match those of the Gothic word than those of the Old High German and Old Saxon reflexes of Germanic *listiz.

Noun

*lь̏stь f

1. ruse, decoy

   Synonyms: *jьzmama, *mana, *ulovъka

2. flattery

   Synonym: *laska

Declension

Declension of *lь̏stь (i-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*lь̏stь	*lь̏sti	*lь̏sti
genitive	*lьstí	*lьstьjù, *lьsťu*	*lьstь̀jь
dative	*lь̏sti	*lьstьmà	*lь̏stьmъ
accusative	*lь̏stь	*lь̏sti	*lь̏sti
instrumental	*lьstьjǫ́	*lьstьmà	*lьstьmì
locative	*lьstí	*lьstьjù, *lьsťu*	*lь̏stьxъ
vocative	*lьsti	*lь̏sti	*lь̏sti

^* 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

• *perlьstь (“charm, enchantment”)
• *lьstiti (“to deceive, to seduce”)
  • *lьstiteľь (“seducer”)
  • *lьstьnъ (“easy, done with a trick”)
• *lьstьcь (“trickster”)
• *lьstivъ (“seductive”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: льсть (lĭstĭ)
    • Belarusian: лесць (ljescʹ)
    • Russian: лесть (lestʹ)
    • Ukrainian: лесть (lestʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: льсть (lĭstĭ)
  • Bulgarian: лъст (lǎst), прелест (prelest, “splendor”)
  • ⇒ Macedonian: прелест (prelest, “splendor”)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ла̑ст

    Latin script: lȃst

  • Slovene: lǝ̀st (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: lest
    • Czech: lest
  • Old Polish: leść
  • Slovak: lesť
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: lasć
    • Upper Sorbian: lesć

Further reading

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “лъст”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 560
• Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia E. (2013) The Germanic loanwords in Proto-Slavic‎^[2], Amsterdam - New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 149-150
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1990), “*lьstь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 17 (*lъžь – *matješьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 97
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “лесть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress