Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/mígtei

This Proto-Balto-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.

From Proto-Indo-European *h₃meygʰ- (“to drizzle”) with several hypotheses for original inflection:

• Ivanov, Mažiulis: From athematic root present *méigʰti ~ *migʰénti^[1].
• van Wijk, Stang: Alternatively, reanalyzed from an earlier perfect *(me)móigʰe ~ *(me)migʰḗr.
• Villanueva Svensson: Possibly from Narten-type athematic present *mḗigʰti ~ *méigʰn̥ti^[2] in middle voice, paired with athematic aorist *méigʰt ~ *migʰént (whence 0-grades within later derivatives).

Modern descendants have innovated various types of reanalyzed conjugations. Athematic inflection is attested in Old Lithuanian and Old Prussian.^[1]

The accent paradigm is based on Lithuanian and Serbo-Croatian (ap B per Illič-Svityč).

*mígtei^[2]

1. (per Derksen, probably) to flicker, to twinkle, to murk

   → to wink; to close, to screw one's eyes

   → (figurative) to doze, to slumber

Fixed accent, originally athematic: *méigti ~ *migínti.

Later descendants and related derivatives exhibit:

• n-infix present / ā-preterite: standard Lithuanian miñga (3p. pres.), mìgo (3p. pret.)
• thematic present / ā-preterite: dialectal Lithuanian miẽga (3p. pres.), mìgo (3p. pret.); standard Latvian mìeg (3p. pres.), mìga (3p. pret.)
• te-present / ā-preterite: dialectal Lithuanian miegta (3p. pres.), migo (3p. pret.)
• ste-present / jā-preterite: dialectal Latvian migst/miegst (3p. pres.), midza (3p. pret.)
• ī-present / ě-preterite: Proto-Slavic *mьžati (primary)
• enlonged-grade jā-present + preterite: Proto-Slavic *mižati (secondary, iterative)
• ne-present / nu-preterite: Proto-Slavic *mьgnǫti (inchoative)

• *migī́ˀtei, *migdī́ˀtei (secondary causative)
  • Baltic:
    • Latvian: midzinât
    • Lithuanian: mìginti, migdýti
  • Proto-Slavic: *mьžiti (> Russian мжить (mžitʹ)), *miždžati (> Serbo-Croatian ми́ждати)

• *meigā́ˀtei (“to wink (Slavic); to sleep (Baltic)”) (factitive)
  • *meigás (action/resultant noun)
• *maigī́ˀtei (“to close eyes”) (primary causative)

• East Baltic:
  • Latvian: migt (“to fall asleep, to make s.o. asleep”) (intransitive/transitive)
    • ⇒ Latvian: miêgt (“to close eyes”) (intransitive)
  • Lithuanian: mìgti (“to fall asleep”) (intransitive)
• West Baltic:
  • Old Prussian: miecte class 3p. sg. (“sleeps”)
• Proto-Slavic: *mьžati, *mižati (“to screw one's eyes, to keep eyes shut”) (intransitive)

• “migti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
• Derksen, Rick (2015) “migti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 317
• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mьžati, *mižati I”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 344