Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/věděti

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

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *waid-, *waistei, from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde (“to have seen, to know”), perfect of *weyd- (“to see”).^[1] Cognate with Old Prussian waist (“to know”) (waidimai class 1p. pl.), Ancient Greek οἶδα (oîda), Proto-Germanic *witaną (whence English wit).

Verb

*vě̀děti impf^[1]^[2]^[3]

to know, to be familiar/aware of
to foresee

Alternative forms

*věsti

Conjugation

Conjugation of *věděti, *vědě, *věstь (impf., athematic -ě/C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*věděnьje	*věděti	*vědětъ	*vědělъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*věděnъ	*vědomъ
Active	*věděvъ	*vědy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*věděxъ	*vědě	*vědě	*vě(mь/dě)	*věsi	*věstь
Dual	*věděxově	*věděsta	*věděste	*věvě	*věsta	*věste
Plural	*věděxomъ	*věděste	*věděšę	*věmъ	*věste	*vědętь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*věděaxъ	*věděaše	*věděaše	—	*věďь	*věďь
Dual	*věděaxově	*věděašeta	*věděašete	*vědivě	*vědita	—
Plural	*věděaxomъ	*věděašete	*věděaxǫ	*vědimъ	*vědite	—

There is partial evidence that *věsti ~ *věděti originally had a different set of inflectional endings from the standardly used active endings. Only 1p. sg. *vědě^[4]^[5] is securely attested, e.g. as part of:

Old Church Slavonic азъ боукꙑ вѣдѣ глаголи (azŭ buky vědě glagoli, “I know the letters”)

which is formed by the names of the first five letters of the Glagolitic/Cyrillic alphabet.

Derived terms

*vědati (factitive)

*ověsti sę, *ověděti sę (“to get familiar with”)
*perdъvěsti, *perdъvěděti (“to prelude”)
*pověsti, *pověděti (“to decree, to preach”)
- *propovědь (“sermon”)
- *zapovědь (“order”)
*sъvěsti, *sъvěděti (“to notify, to inform”)
*vědь (“awareness, prophesy”)
*vědьma (“witch”)
*vědomъ (“aware”)
*věďa, *věděnьje (“knowledge”)
*věstь (“message”)
*věstъ (“known”)
- *nevěsta (“bride”)
*věščь (“proficient, wise”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: вѣдѣти (věděti)
  - Belarusian: ве́даць (vjédacʹ)
  - Russian: (dated or poetic) ве́дать (védatʹ), ве́сти (vésti)
  - Ukrainian: (dated or poetic) ві́дати (vídaty), віді (vidi, “probably, maybe”)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: вѣдѣти (věděti)
  - Bulgarian: вям (vjam) (obsolete)
  - ⇒ Bulgarian: невя́м (nevjám, “uncertainly”, adverb)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: (Kajkavian) ведети
  
  Latin script: (Kajkavian) vedeti
- Slovene: vẹ́deti (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: věděti
  - Czech: vědět
    - Bohemian (Chod dialect): vedět
- Old Polish: wiedzieć
  - Polish: wiedzieć
  - Silesian: wiedzieć
- Slovak: vedieť
- Polabian: vedĕt
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: wiedzec
  - Slovincian: wjêdzec
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: wěźeś
  - Upper Sorbian: wědźeć, wjedźeć

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008) “*věděti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 518: “v. ‘know’”
^ Olander, Thomas (2001) “věděti: věmь”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “c vide (PR 139)”
^ Snoj, Marko (2016) “vedeti”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si: “Slovan. *vě̋děti, sed. *vě(d)mь̏”
^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ведь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
^ Anikin, A. E. (2012) “ведь”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 6 (вал – вершок), Moscow: LRC, Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 174

Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999) “ве́дать”, 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 137
Anikin, A. E. (2012) “вѣ́дѣти”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 6 (вал – вершок), Moscow: LRC, Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 165
Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ведать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “вям, веш”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 140

[EDSIL-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008) “*věděti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 518: “v. ‘know’”

[2] Olander, Thomas (2001) “věděti: věmь”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “c vide (PR 139)”

[3] Snoj, Marko (2016) “vedeti”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si: “Slovan. *vě̋děti, sed. *vě(d)mь̏”

[4] Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ведь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

[5] Anikin, A. E. (2012) “ведь”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 6 (вал – вершок), Moscow: LRC, Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 174

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