Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/tъrgati

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.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology

The exact etymology is unclear. The dominant standpoints are:

• Per Derksen, possibly cognate with Latin tergō (“to wipe”), with semantic distortion by influence of *dьrgati (“to tear”).
• Per Vasmer, connected with Sanskrit स्तृहति (stṛháti, “to crush”), तृणेढि (tṛṇéḍhi, “shattered, broken”), perfect ततर्ह (tatarha), perf. pass. part. तृढ (tṛḍhá). Doubtfully connected with Latin trahō (“to drag”), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐍉 (þairkō, “hole”).
• Per Chernykh, from Proto-Indo-European *tergʰ-, extended version of *ter- (“to rub”), cognate with Proto-Slavic *terti, Latin terō.

Over time, the term has undergone a semantic drift in certain thematic environments, giving rise to figurative terms such as Russian трогать (trogatʹ, “to affect, to arouse emotionally”) and Bulgarian тръгвам (trǎgvam), Macedonian тргне (trgne, “to depart”). The later semantic development is analogous with Italian partire (“to go away”), French partir (“to depart”) which descend from Latin partīre (“to separate”).

Verb

*tъrgati

1. to tear
2. to rip, to extort

Inflection

Conjugation of *tъrgati, *tъrga, *tъržetь (impf., -a/j-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*tъrganьje	*tъrgati	*tъrgatъ	*tъrgalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*tъrganъ	*tъržemъ
Active	*tъrgavъ	*tъržę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*tъrgaxъ	*tъrga	*tъrga	*tъržǫ	*tъržeši	*tъržetь
Dual	*tъrgaxově	*tъrgasta	*tъrgaste	*tъrževě	*tъržeta	*tъržete
Plural	*tъrgaxomъ	*tъrgaste	*tъrgašę	*tъržemъ	*tъržete	*tъržǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*tъrgaaxъ	*tъrgaaše	*tъrgaaše	—	*tъrži	*tъrži
Dual	*tъrgaaxově	*tъrgaašeta	*tъrgaašete	*tъrživě	*tъržita	—
Plural	*tъrgaaxomъ	*tъrgaašete	*tъrgaaxǫ	*tъržimъ	*tъržite	—

Conjugation of *tъrgati, *tъrga, *tъrgajetь (perf, -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*tъrganьje	*tъrgati	*tъrgatъ	*tъrgalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*tъrganъ	*tъrgajemъ
Active	*tъrgavъ	*tъrgaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*tъrgaxъ	*tъrga	*tъrga	*tъrgajǫ	*tъrgaješi	*tъrgajetь
Dual	*tъrgaxově	*tъrgasta	*tъrgaste	*tъrgajevě	*tъrgajeta	*tъrgajete
Plural	*tъrgaxomъ	*tъrgaste	*tъrgašę	*tъrgajemъ	*tъrgajete	*tъrgajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*tъrgaaxъ	*tъrgaaše	*tъrgaaše	—	*tъrgaji	*tъrgaji
Dual	*tъrgaaxově	*tъrgaašeta	*tъrgaašete	*tъrgajivě	*tъrgajita	—
Plural	*tъrgaaxomъ	*tъrgaašete	*tъrgaaxǫ	*tъrgajimъ	*tъrgajite	—

Related terms

• *tьrzati (“to tear, to pull”)
• *tьrgnǫti (“to pull, to tear out”)

Derived terms

• *jьztъrgati (“to extort”) < *jьz + *tъrgati
• *orztъrgati (“to cancel”) < *orz + *tъrgati
• *potъrgati (“to tremor”) < *po + *tъrgati

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: търгати (tŭrgati)
    • ⇒ Russian: отторга́ть (ottorgátʹ), расторга́ть (rastorgátʹ)
    • Ukrainian: то́ргати (tórhaty, “to tear, to pull”)
• South Slavic:
  • ⇒ Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: тръгнѫти (trŭgnǫti)

    Glagolitic script: ⱅⱃⱏⰳⱀⱘⱅⰻ (trŭgnǫti)

  • Bulgarian: тъ́ргам (tǎ́rgam, “to tear, to pull”)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: тр̏гати

    Latin script: tȑgati

  • Slovene: tŕgati (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: trhati
    • Czech: trhat
  • Polish: targać
  • Slovak: trhať
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: torhać
    • Lower Sorbian: tergać

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “терза́ть”, 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 238
• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*tъrgati”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 502
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “торга́ть”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress