Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kǫsati

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.

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *kanˀstei from an earlier form **kanˀdtei.

Per Vasmer, derived from *kǫ̑sъ (“piece”); but per Trubachev, the noun is derived from the verb. Cognate with Lithuanian ką́sti (“to bite”) (1sg. kándu), Latvian kuôst (“to bite”) (1sg. kuôžu). Possibly cognate with some or all of Ancient Greek κνώδων (knṓdōn, “knife, blade, prong”), κνώδαλον (knṓdalon, “wild beast”), Old High German hantag (“sharp, cutting”), Sanskrit खादति (khā́dati, “to chew, to bite”), Persian خاییدن (xâyidan, “to chew”), Old Armenian խածանեմ (xacanem, “to bite”). Per Derksen, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kanˀd-, from which a Proto-Indo-European root such as *k(ʷ)end- or *k(ʷ)enHd(ʰ)- can be constructed.

*kǫsàti impf

1. to bite

• *kǫ̑sъ (“piece”)
• *čęstь (“part”)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: кѫсати (kǫsati), кусати (kusati)
    • Belarusian: куса́ць (kusácʹ)
    • Russian: куса́ть (kusátʹ)
    • Ukrainian: куса́ти (kusáty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: кѫсати (kǫsati)

    Glagolitic: ⰽⱘⱄⰰⱅⰻ (kǫsati)

  • Bulgarian: къ́сам (kǎ́sam)
  • Macedonian: каса (kasa)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ку́сати

    Latin script: kúsati

  • Slovene: kọ̑sati (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: kousat
  • Polabian: kǫsĕt
  • Old Polish: kąsać, kęsać
    • Polish: kąsać
  • Pomeranian:
  • Slovak: kúsať
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: kusać
    • Lower Sorbian: kusaś

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “куса́ть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кус”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1985), “*kǫsati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 12 (*koulъkъ – *kroma/*kromъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 65