màzati

màzati Grammatical information: v. Accent paradigm: a Proto-Slavic meaning: `smear, anoint'

Page in Trubačev: XVIII 23-25

Old Church Slavic:

mazati `anoint' [verb], mažǫ [1sg]

Russian:

mázat' `smear, oil, grease' [verb], mážu [1sg], mážet [3sg]

Czech:

mazati `smear, oil, defile' [verb]

Slovak:

mazat' `smear' [verb]

Polish:

mazać `smear' [verb]

Serbo-Croatian:

mȁzati `smear, grease, paint' [verb], mȁžēm [1sg];

Čak. mȁzati (Vrgada) `soil, besmirch' [verb], mȁžeš [2sg];

mȁzati `smear, grease, paint' [verb];

Čak. mȁzat (Orbanići) `smear, grease' [verb], mȃžen [1sg]

Slovene:

mázati `smear, grease, paint' [verb], mȃžem [1sg]

Proto-Balto-Slavic reconstruction: moʔź-

Lithuanian:

mė́žti `manure, muck out'

Latvian:

mêzt `muck out, sweep' [verb];

muõzêt `gobble, pound, fool, harass, beat' [verb]

Page in Pokorny: 696

Comments: For the time being I have grouped together Slavic *màzati and Lith. mė́žti `manure, muck out', Latv. mêzt `muck out, sweep' and muõzêt `gobble, pound etc.' (cf. Oštir 1912: 214, Fraenkel I: 444). It seems to me that the Baltic words can be linked semantically to *màzati `smear' if we start from a meaning `smear, wipe, sweep' (for the semantic development attested in muõzêt, cf. Ru. smázat' `strike a blow', MoDu. (dial.) afsmeren `give s.o. a beating'). Another possibility would be to connect *màzati with Gk. μάσσω (aor. pass. μαγη̃ναι) `knead' (provided that the root is not μακ- instead of μαγ-, which, according to Chantraine (670), cannot be determined), Arm. macanim `thicken, stick together' and OHG mahhōn, OS makōn etc. `make'. This would entail a reconstruction *meh₂ǵ- (*maǵ- in Pokorny), which would preclude a connection with mė́žti, Latv. mêzt.