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 metathesis *-ld- > *-dl-, inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *maldī́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *moldʰ-éye-ti, from *meldʰ- (“to ask, pray, beg”).

Baltic cognates include Lithuanian malda (“request”), maldýti (“to pray for”).

Indo-European cognates include Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒀠𒁲 (ma-a-al-di /⁠māldi⁠/, “to recite, make a vow”, 3sg.pres.act.), German melden (“to report, tell”), Old Armenian մաղթեմ (małtʻem).

*modlìti impf

1. (ambitransitive) to ask, pray

• *modla
• *modlitva

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: молити (moliti)
    • Old Ruthenian: моли́ти (molíti)
      • Belarusian: малі́ць (malícʹ)
      • Ukrainian: моли́ти (molýty)
    • Russian: моли́ть (molítʹ)
      • → Kildin Sami: мо̄ллэ (mōlle)
  • Old Novgorodian: моглити (mogliti)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: молити (moliti)

    Glagolitic script: ⰿⱁⰾⰻⱅⰻ (moliti)

  • Bulgarian: мо́ля (mólja)
  • Macedonian: моли (moli)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: мо̀лити

    Latin script: mòliti

  • Slovene: molīti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: modliti
    • Czech: modlit
  • Polish: modlić się
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: mòdlëc sã
  • Old Slovak:
    • Pannonian Rusyn: модлїц (modljic)
    • Slovak: modliť sa
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: modlić
    • Lower Sorbian: módliś

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “молить”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999) “молить”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 539