Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vajati

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

Possibly related via ablaut to Proto-Slavic *viti (“to turn, to curve”), *vojь (“turn, twist”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁y- (“to twist, to weave”). Nearly exact match is Sanskrit वयति (vayati, “to spin, to weave”) from standard thematic Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁y-e-ti, however, this etymology is inconsistent with the o-grade of the Slavic verb.

Only the antiquity of South Slavic descendants is certain. On this account, Georgiev does not exclude borrowing from Oghur, from Proto-Turkic *ōy- (“to carve, to peck”) (whence Turkish oymak (“to cut”)).

Verb

*vajati impf

1. to sculpt, to mould

Conjugation

Conjugation of *vajati, *vaja, *vajetь (impf., -a/V-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*vajanьje	*vajati	*vajatъ	*vajalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*vajanъ	*vajemъ
Active	*vajavъ	*vaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*vajaxъ	*vaja	*vaja	*vajǫ	*vaješi	*vajetь
Dual	*vajaxově	*vajasta	*vajaste	*vajevě	*vajeta	*vajete
Plural	*vajaxomъ	*vajaste	*vajašę	*vajemъ	*vajete	*vajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*vajaaxъ	*vajaaše	*vajaaše	—	*vaji	*vaji
Dual	*vajaaxově	*vajaašeta	*vajaašete	*vajivě	*vajita	—
Plural	*vajaaxomъ	*vajaašete	*vajaaxǫ	*vajimъ	*vajite	—

Conjugation of *vajati, *vaja, *vajajetь (impf., -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*vajanьje	*vajati	*vajatъ	*vajalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*vajanъ	*vajajemъ
Active	*vajavъ	*vajaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*vajaxъ	*vaja	*vaja	*vajajǫ	*vajaješi	*vajajetь
Dual	*vajaxově	*vajasta	*vajaste	*vajajevě	*vajajeta	*vajajete
Plural	*vajaxomъ	*vajaste	*vajašę	*vajajemъ	*vajajete	*vajajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*vajaaxъ	*vajaaše	*vajaaše	—	*vajaji	*vajaji
Dual	*vajaaxově	*vajaašeta	*vajaašete	*vajajivě	*vajajita	—
Plural	*vajaaxomъ	*vajaašete	*vajaaxǫ	*vajajimъ	*vajajite	—

Derived terms

• *vajateľь (agent noun)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: ваꙗти (vajati)
    • → Old East Slavic: ваꙗти (vajati)
      • Old Ruthenian: ваꙗ́ти (vajáti)
      • Russian: вая́ть (vajátʹ)
  • Bulgarian: ва́я (vája), ва́ям (vájam)
  • Macedonian: ва́ја (vája)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ва́јати

    Latin script: vájati

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ваять”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “вая, ваям”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 124