Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bъrkati

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.

Probably polygenetic. Proposed origins:

• Some of the meanings from *bъrkъ (“whisker, quill”) +‎ *-ati, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“to pierce, to bore”).
• Onomatopoeic, akin to Proto-Slavic *bъrčati (“to buzz, to drone, to whizz”), *burkati (“to growl, to grumble”) and Lithuanian bur̃kti, bur̃kšti (“to bang, to rattle”).

Compare also Proto-Slavic *brъkati (“to shove, to mingle, to stir”).

*bъrkàti impf (perfective *bъrknǫti or *bъrkovati)

1. to trim, to crop (feathers, beard) (in East Slavic)
2. to flatter (wings) → to whoosh, to hurl, to fly away (in West Slavic)
3. to poke, to kick

   → (by extension) to wrinkle, to curl

   → (figurative) to chase away

4. (reflexive) to drive, to swing oneself

• *bъrxati

• *pribъrkati (“to beat, to stroke”)
• *vъbъrkati, *ubъrkati (“to poke into”)

• *borti (“to fight, to challenge”)
• *bъrčiti (“to wrinkle, to curl”)
  • *bъrčьka (“wrinkle”)
• *bъrkъ (“whisker, quill”)

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: бо́ркать (bórkatʹ)
  • Ukrainian: бо́ркати (bórkaty, “to trim bird's feathers”)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: бъ́ркам (bǎ́rkam), бъ́рча (bǎ́rča)
  • Macedonian: брка (brka, “to chase”)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (dialectal)

    Cyrillic script: бр̀кати (“to beat, to smack”)

    Latin script: br̀kati (“to beat, to smack”)

  • Slovene: brkljáti (tonal orthography), bŕcati
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: brkat, brchat
  • Old Polish: barkać
  • Slovak: bŕkať
  • Pomeranian:
    • >? Slovincian: barkac, barkôwac
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: barkaś
    • Upper Sorbian: barkać

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*bъrkati (sę)”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 126
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “боркать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “бъркам”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 102