Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mьstь

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

Alternative reconstructions

• *mьsta

Etymology

Derived from Proto-Indo-European *meytH- / *meyth₂- (“to exchange, swap, replace”), a root extension of *mey- (“to change, to exchange”). By surface analysis, **misti (“to exchange? / return?”) +‎ *-tь (compare *čьstь : *čisti) or **mьstъ (“mutual?”) +‎ *-ь.

Related to Latvian mît (“to change”) (1sg. miju), Sanskrit मेथति (méthati, “to alternate”), मिथति (mitháti, “to alternate”), Avestan 𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬀 (miθa, “false”), 𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬡𐬀 (miθβa, “paired”), 𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬡𐬀𐬥𐬀 (miθβana, “paired”), Ancient Greek μοῖτος (moîtos, “reward, thanks”), Latin mūtō (“to change”), mūtuus (“mutual, reciprocal”), Old Irish mis-, mith- (“wrong”), Old Norse missa (“loss, damage”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐍉 (missō, “each other”), English mis- < Proto-Germanic *missa- < *mitto (“mutual, reciprocal”).

Noun

*mьstь f

1. revenge, vengeance

Inflection

Declension of *mьstь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mьstь	*mьsti	*mьsti
genitive	*mьsti	*mьstьju, *mьsťu*	*mьstьjь, *mьsti*
dative	*mьsti	*mьstьma	*mьstьmъ
accusative	*mьstь	*mьsti	*mьsti
instrumental	*mьstьjǫ, *mьsťǫ*	*mьstьma	*mьstьmi
locative	*mьsti	*mьstьju, *mьsťu*	*mьstьxъ
vocative	*mьsti	*mьsti	*mьsti

^* 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).

See also

• *mъstъ
• *město

Related terms

• *mьzda
• *mijati
• *mitě (“in turn, alternately”)
• *mitusь (“opposite one another”)
• *mitva (“in turn, alternately?”)

Derived terms

• *mьstiti (“to avenge”)
  • *mьstiteľь
  • *mьstivъ
• *mьstьnъ
  • *mьstьnikъ

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: мьсть (mĭstĭ), месть (mestĭ), мьсто (mĭsto)
    • Russian: месть (mestʹ)
    • Ukrainian: месть (mestʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: мьсть (mĭstĭ)

  • Bulgarian: мъст (mǎst)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: msta
    • Czech: msta
      • ⇒ Czech: pomsta
  • Polish: msta
    • ⇒ Polish: pomsta, zemsta
  • Slovak: mstva
    • ⇒ Slovak: pomsta
  • Slovincian: msta
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: msta

Further reading

• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mьstь; *mьsta”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 343
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1994), “*mьstь/*mьsta”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 21 (*mъrskovatъjь – *nadějьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 172
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “месть”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 526 (), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 1
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “месть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress