гулять

Uncertain. Cognate with Belarusian гуля́ць (huljácʹ), Ukrainian гуля́ти (huljáty) and Old Polish oguł (“wholeness, entirety”), for the latter compare Russian огу́лом (ogúlom, “all at once, indiscriminately; together”). Therefore from Proto-Slavic *gulъ.

Potebnja and Sobolevsky consider earlier meaning "to drink (an alcoholic beverage)", and compare Ukrainian гуля́ка (huljáka, “drunkard”), Serbo-Croatian гу́лити (“to booze, drink heavily”). It is also proposed to consider "to rest, to spend time resting" the original meaning, and thus connected to Lithuanian guliù, gulti (“get into bed, lie down”). Also connected to Ukrainian бити в гулю (byty v hulju, “to play with a ball”).

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гуля́ть • (guljátʹ) impf (perfective погуля́ть)

1. to walk, to go for a walk, to stroll
2. to have time-off, to have free time
3. to make merry, to enjoy oneself, to carouse
   1. to party
4. to go with, to go out with someone
5. to cheat, to "stray from" or be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner

   он гуля́ет ― on guljájet ― He's cheating

6. (colloquial, about babies) to stay awake

• вы́гул (výgul)
• гулёна (guljóna)
• гульба́ (gulʹbá)
• гуля́ка (guljáka)
• гуля́ние (guljánije)
• гуля́нка (guljánka)
• гуля́щий (guljáščij)
• загу́л (zagúl)
• огу́лом (ogúlom)
• огу́льно (ogúlʹno)
• отгу́л (otgúl)
• прогу́л (progúl)
• прогу́лка (progúlka)

• → Ingrian: guljaittaa

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “гулять”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress