From Proto-Mordvinic *peľəms, ultimately from Proto-Uralic *pele-. Cognates include Finnish pelätä, Northern Sami ballat, Hungarian fél.
Veršinin is unsure whether development from пяль (päľ, “half; side”) is possible, he wonders if the meaning could have changed from "side" to "step aside; avoid; fear."
пелемс • (pelems)
The presumable object of the verb (i.e., the source of the fear) is put in ablative (-да (-da, “from”)), alternatively the postposition эзда (ezda, “from”) is used.
Present / future | ||
---|---|---|
1st singular — мон (mon) | пелян (pelän) | |
2nd singular — тон (ton) | пелят (pelät) | |
3rd singular — сон (son) | пели (peli) | |
1st plural — минь (miń) | пельхтяма (pelxtäma) | |
2nd plural — тинь (tiń) | пельхтяда (pelxtäda) | |
3rd plural — синь (siń) | пелихть (pelihť) | |
Past I | ||
1st singular — мон (mon) | пелень (peleń) | |
2nd singular — тон (ton) | пелеть (peleť) | |
3rd singular — сон (son) | пельсь (pelś) | |
1st plural — минь (miń) | пелеме (peleme) | |
2nd plural — тинь (tiń) | пеледе (pelede) | |
3rd plural — синь (siń) | пельсть (pelsť) | |
Compound future | ||
1st singular — мон (mon) | карман пелема (karman pelema) | |
2nd singular — тон (ton) | кармат пелема (karmat pelema) | |
3rd singular — сон (son) | кармай пелема (karmaj pelema) | |
1st plural — минь (miń) | карматама пелема (karmatama pelema) | |
2nd plural — тинь (tiń) | карматада пелема (karmatada pelema) | |
3rd plural — синь (siń) | кармайхть пелема (karmajhť pelema) | |
Imperative | ||
2nd singular — тон (ton) | пельхть (pelxť) | |
2nd plural — тинь (tiń) | пеледа (peleda) | |
Non-finite forms | ||
verbal noun | пелема (pelema) | |
past passive participle | — | |
agentive / pres. act. part. | пели (peli) | |
present passive participle | — |