Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/męknǫti

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

Cognate with Lithuanian mìnkyti (“to knead”), Latvian mîcît (“to knead”), Old English menġan (“to mix”), and more distantly with Lithuanian mánkyti (“to knead, to press, to crumple”).

• Derksen: From Proto-Balto-Slavic *manˀk-, from Proto-Indo-European *monHk-, from the root *menHk-.
• Vasmer, Trubachev, Chernykh: Further cognate with Ancient Greek μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”) (aorist passive Ancient Greek μαγῆναι (magênai)) < Proto-Indo-European *mn̥k-y-oh₂. Chernykh, quoting Pokorny, gives the root as *men(H)k-; Rix prefers non-laryngeal *menk-, despite the Balto-Slavic evidence for a laryngeal (which he notes). According to Derksen, quoting Chantraine, the Greek root could be either μαγ- (mag-) or μακ- (mak-), despite the aorist passive. Derksen, however, would rather derive the Greek word from a different root *meh₂ǵ-; see *màzati (“to oil, to smear, to anoint”).

Verb

*mę̀knǫti

1. to become soft

Inflection

Accent paradigm a.

• 1sg. *męknǫ

Conjugation of *męknǫti, *mękne, *męknetь (?, -C-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*męknenьje	*męknǫti	*męknǫtъ	*męknlъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*męknenъ	*męknomъ
Active	*męknъ	*mękny

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mękn(ox)ъ	*mękne	*mękne	*męknǫ	*mękneši	*męknetь
Dual	*mękn(ox)ově	*mękn(e/os)ta	*mękn(e/os)te	*męknevě	*mękneta	*męknete
Plural	*mękn(ox)omъ	*mękn(e/os)te	*męknǫ, *męknošę	*męknemъ	*męknete	*męknǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mękněaxъ	*mękněaše	*mękněaše	—	*mękni	*mękni
Dual	*mękněaxově	*mękněašeta	*mękněašete	*mękněvě	*mękněta	—
Plural	*mękněaxomъ	*mękněašete	*mękněaxǫ	*mękněmъ	*mękněte	—

Related terms

• *mǫ̀čiti (“to torture, to torment”)
• *mę̏kъkъ (“soft”)
• *mǫ̀ka (“torture, torment”)

Descendants

• Church Slavonic: мѧкнѫти (męknǫti)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: мѧкънꙋти (mękŭnuti)
    • Belarusian: мя́кнуць (mjáknucʹ)
    • Russian: мя́кнуть (mjáknutʹ)
    • Ukrainian: м'я́кнути (mʺjáknuty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: (оумѧкнѫти (umęknǫti))

    Glagolitic: (ⱆⰿⱔⰽⱀⱘⱅⰻ (umęknǫti))

    • Bulgarian: ме́кна (mékna) (dated)
      • ⇒ Bulgarian: омѐкна (omèkna)
    • Macedonian: мекнее (meknee)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ме̏кнути

    Latin script: mȅknuti

  • Slovene: mẹ́kniti (tonal orthography) (obsolete)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: měknout
  • Polish: mięknąć
  • Slovak: mäknúť
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: mjaknyć
    • Lower Sorbian: měknuś

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “мя́гкий”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 552
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “мя́кнуть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1992), “*męknǫti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 18 (*matoga – *mękyšьka), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 241