щекотать

Russian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ɕːɪkɐˈtatʲ]

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ščьkъtati. Compare Old Church Slavonic скъкътати (skŭkŭtati) or скоктати (skoktati) (Russian recension), Serbo-Croatian škakljati, Slovene ščegetati, Macedonian скокотка (skokotka).

Verb

щекота́ть • (ščekotátʹimpf (perfective пощекота́ть or защекота́ть)

  1. to tickle, to titillate (touch repeatedly or stroke delicately)
  2. (intransitive) to chirp, to twitter (said of nightingales, magpies and certain other birds)
Conjugation
Derived terms
  • щекота́ться (ščekotátʹsja)
  • защекота́ть (zaščekotátʹ)
  • пощекота́ть (poščekotátʹ)

Etymology 2

щёкот (ščókot) +‎ -ать (-atʹ), Old East Slavic щекотъ (ščekotŭ). Possibly related to etymology 1 ("to tickle") but it is not proven.

Verb

щекота́ть • (ščekotátʹimpf (perfective защекота́ть)

  1. (dated) to twitter, to chirp (especially of nightingales)
    Synonym: щебета́ть (ščebetátʹ)
Conjugation

References

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