Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/smьjati

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.

• *smijàti (later form)

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *smīˀ-, *smai-, from Proto-Indo-European *smey-. Cognate with Latvian smiêt (“to mock”), 1sg. smeju, smiêtiês (“to laugh”), smaĩdît (“to mock”) (also Eastern dialect smaîdinât), smîdînât (“to make someone laugh”) (also Western dialect smĩdînât), smĩnêt (“to smile”). Also cognate with Sanskrit स्मयते (smáyate, “to smile, to laugh”), Ancient Greek μειδάω (meidáō), μειδιάω (meidiáō, “to smile”), φιλο-μμειδής (philo-mmeidḗs, “smiling gladly”) (Homeric), Tocharian A smimāṃ (“smiling”), English smile, Latin mīrus (“wonderful”). Per Derksen, the Balto-Slavic acute is an innovation.

*smьjàti impf

1. (reflexive with *sę) to laugh

• *smě̑xъ (“laughter”)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: смиꙗти (smijati), смѣꙗти (smějati)
    • Old Ruthenian: смѣꙗтисѧ (smějatisja), смѣатисѧ (směatisja), смѣꙗтись (smějatisʹ), смѣꙗтисє (smějatisje), смѣꙗтьсѧ (smějatʹsja), смиꙗтисѧ (smijatisja)
      • Belarusian: смяя́цца (smjajácca)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: смяти (smjaty)
      • Ukrainian: смія́тися (smijátysja)
    • Russian: смея́ться (smejátʹsja)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Glagolitic script:

    Old Cyrillic script: смиꙗти (smijati), смѣати (směati), смиѣти (smiěti), смѣѣти (směěti)

    • Bulgarian: сме́я (sméja)
    • Macedonian: сме́е (smée)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: смѐјати, смѝјати, смијејати

    Latin script: smèjati, smìjati, smijejati

  • Slovene: smejáti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Kashubian: smiôc
  • Old Czech: smieti
    • Czech: smát
  • Polabian: sḿot
  • Polish: śmiać
  • Silesian: śmiŏć
  • Slovak: smiať
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: smjeć
    • Lower Sorbian: smjaś

• Derksen, Rick (2008) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 456
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “смею́сь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “смея́ться”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 2 (панцирь – ящур), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 179