Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/natь

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

*nati (r-stem)

Etymology

Akin to Latvian nâtrе, Lithuanian nõterė, notrė̃, Old Prussian noatis, of disputed origin:

Trubačev, Toporov draw comparison with Lithuanian nókti (“to grow up, to ripen”), Latvian nãkt (“to come”) (< Proto-Balto-Slavic *nā́ˀktei (“to bring forward”)), possibly further Proto-Germanic *nēhwaz (“near”). Trubačev even proposes derivation from the verb, which is phonetically problematic (expected in that case would be **naťь). Per Toporov, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ə₂en- / *ə₂n-.^[1]^[2]
Machek alternatively links it to Proto-Slavic *navь (“death”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“inert, dejected”). Doubted by Trubačev.
Kroonen considers the Slavic to be borrowed from Proto-Germanic *natǭ (“nettle”).^[3]

Noun

*natь f

The aboveground parts (leaves and stems) of some vegetables and herbs.
Synonyms: *bъty, *bъturь

Inflection

Declension of *natь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*natь	*nati	*nati
genitive	*nati	natьju, naťu^*	natьjь, nati^*
dative	*nati	*natьma	*natьmъ
accusative	*natь	*nati	*nati
instrumental	natьjǫ, naťǫ^*	*natьma	*natьmi
locative	*nati	natьju, naťu^*	*natьxъ
vocative	*nati	*nati	*nati

^* 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

*natina, *natyni

Related terms

*na (“on”), *nakъ (“backside”) (possibly)
- *načiti (“to set up”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Ukrainian: нать (natʹ)
- ⇒ Old Ruthenian: нати́на (natína)
  - Belarusian: наці́на (nacína)
  - Ukrainian: нати́ня (natýnja), нати́на (natýna)
- ⇒ Russian: нати́на (natína)
South Slavic:
- ⇒ Serbo-Croatian: (obsolete)
  Cyrillic script: натије
  
  Latin script: natije
- Slovene: nȃt (tonal orthography) (dialectal)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: nat
  - Czech: nať
- Old Polish: nać
  - Polish: nać
- Slovak: vňať, vnať (dialectal)
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: naś
  - Upper Sorbian: nać

Non-Slavic:
- → Proto-Finnic: *naatti (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1996), “*natь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 23 (*narodьnъjь – *navijakъ), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 186
^ Toporov, Vladimir (1960) “Индоевропейский корень *ə₂еn- / *ə₂n- в балтийском и славянском”, in LP, pages 204-205
^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “*natōn-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 384