Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/delěti

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.

Most likely from Proto-Indo-European *delh₁-, perhaps from its seconary meaning “to ply, to exploit” → “to finish off” → “to prevail” (compare *dьliti (“to prolong”), *dьlgъ (“long”)). Near cognate with Lithuanian délti (“to wane, to languish, to wear out”), dìlinti (“to use up”).

Daughter languages do not agree on the root vocalism: cf. verbal nouns Old Church Slavonic оделѣньѥ (odelěnĭje) (e-grade) : одолѣниѥ (odolěnije) (o-grade) both with the meaning “defeat”.

*delěti impf (perfective *delěvati)

1. to overcome, to prevail

• *dolěti

• *dodelěti (“to tire out”)
• *nadъdelěti (“to overwhelm”)
• *perdelěti, *perdolěti (“to prevail”)
• *podelěti
  • *sъpodеlěti (“to cope, to deal with”)
• *odelěti, *odolěti (“to surmount, to defeat”)
• *sъdelěti (“to defeat”)
• *udelěti (“to vanquish”), *udolěti (“to overcome”)

• *doľa (“share, fate”)
• *dьliti (“to prolong, to last”)
• *dьľa (“for, because”)
• *odolěti (“to overcome, defeat”)

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: делѣти (delěti)
  • Bulgarian: деле́я (deléja, “to prevail, to defeat”) (obsolete; now found only in derivatives)

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “делея”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 336
• “delti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*obdolěti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 26 (*novoukъ(jь) – *obgorditi), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 161