дябам

Formally from an earlier Proto-Slavic *děbati (probably originally a/j-conj.), from the same origin as Old Church Slavonic оудѣбенъ (uděbenŭ, “overtaken, caught by surprise”). According to Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary, related to dialectal Bulgarian дебя (debja, “to pray upon, to sneak”). On the surface, though, cognates seem to be instead dialectal Czech debati (“to poke, to lash”), dialectal Russian дябать (djabatʹ, “to knock down”).

Possibly, further akin to Lithuanian dė̃bti (“to cross, to intercept”).

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дя́бам • (djábam) first-singular present indicative, impf

1. (intransitive, dialectal) to pervade, to infiltrate
2. (transitive, dated) to look for potential advantage, to seek advantageous position
3. (reflexive with се, dated) to get oneself together, to brace up

   Synonyms: стягам се (stjagam se), вземам се в ръце (vzemam se v rǎce)

• издябам (izdjabam, “to overtake by surprise”) (dialectal)

• “дябам”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “дебя”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 330