Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/pъvati

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.

According to Snoj, from *pъvъ +‎ *-ati. Further etymology is uncertain.

Vasmer considers a possible relation with Lithuanian pū́ti (“to rot”), Latvian pūt (“to smell”), which ultimately descend from proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to purify”), but qualifies it as questionable.

*pъvàti impf^[1][2]

1. to have trust in, to rely

• *opъvati
• *upъvati (“to rely on, to hope”)

• *pъvьnъ (“reliable”)
• *pъtati, *pytati (“to inquire”) (possibly)

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: пъвати (pŭvati)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Polish: pwać

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “упова́ть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (2002), “*obpъvati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 29 (*obpovědati – *obsojьnica), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 47