Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/čьrtъ

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.

Unclear. Usually two theories are proposed:

• Past passive participle of unattested verb (nouns: *čarъ, *čara (“magic, sorcery”)) that is the exact equivalent of the Lithuanian kerė́ti (“to bewitch”). This etymology is supported by analogies, cf. *vȏrgъ (“foe, enemy; evil spirit”) > *voržiti (“to divine”). Cognate with Sanskrit कृत्या (kṛtyā, “female demon, sorceress”).
• Past passive participle of *čerti (“to cut”). This etymology is supported by the fact that in many beliefs, evil spirits were often mutilated, cf. Polish kusy (“devil”), Bulgarian къ́с (kǎ́s, “devil”) from Proto-Slavic *kǫsъ (“bitten off; short; tailless”). Relation with *čьrta, *čara (“line”), *čersti, *čьrtiti (“to cut”) is also possible.

Other propositions include:

• Berneker: past passive participle of unattested verb that is the exact equivalent of the Lithuanian kyrė́ti (“to take revenge”) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to cross”) (or *ker- (“to assault”)) with literal meaning “avenger”. Bezlaj derives it from the same root, but through a different semantic shift: “astride, askew” → “evil, treacherous”.
• From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerH- (“to swing, to skip, to jump”) though a semantic development “quick” → “scary, freakish”.

Modern descendants are sometimes associated through folk etymology with (descendants of) Proto-Slavic *čьrnъ (“black”).

*čь̑rtъ m^[1][2][3][4]

1. demon, devil, evil creature

   Synonym: *běsъ

2. (possibly) enemy, foe^[2]

   Synonym: *vorgъ

• *čьrtiti, *čьrtovati (“to carouse, to do evil”)
• *čьrtьcь (diminutives)
• *čьrtovъ, *čьrtьjь (relative adjectives)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: чортъ (čortŭ)
    • Belarusian: чорт (čort)
    • Russian: чёрт (čort)
      • → Bulgarian: чорт (čort)
      • → Polish: czort, ciort
    • Ukrainian: чорт (čort)
  • Old Novgorodian: цьрте (ćĭrte)
• South Slavic:
  • Slovene: čȓt (“hostile spirit; animosity”)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: črt
    • Czech: čert
      • → Polish: czert
      • Moravian (Mistřice): čert
  • Kashubian: czart
  • Polish: czart
  • Slovak: čert
  • Slovincian: czart
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: cart; cert (dialectal)
    • Upper Sorbian: čert

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Lithuanian: čartas, čertas

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “чёрт”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• “skėrys”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “чорт”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Марр, Н. Я. (1924) “Название этрусского бога смерти Kalu и термины ‘писать’, ‘петь’, ‘чорт’, 'поэт' и ‘слепец’”, in Известия Российской Академии Наук. VI серия‎ (in Russian), volume 18, numbers 1–11, page 188 of 183–194, compares to Old Georgian ჭორტი (č̣orṭi, “stone statue; cairn”), which appears to be connected to Old Ossetic τζηρθε (tzērthe, “stele, monument”)