Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/koxati

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

Of unclear origin.

Often said to be from the root underlying *kosnǫti (“to touch”) and *kasati (“to touch, fold”) with an expressive infix *-x-, evolving semantically from “encountering” to “expressively paying honour” and hence “loving”, as per Machek and repeated inter alios by Boryś.^[1]^[2]

However, as Jakobson remarks, the word may rather be from a root for chicken, as seen in *kokošь (“hen”), Czech kokot (“cock”), Proto-Slavic *orzkošь (“voluptuousness, pleasure, orgasm”), Russian ко́ко́ (kókó, “egg”), Proto-Slavic *kočanъ (“head of cabbage; cob or corn; penis”).^[3] The Russian expression де́лать кому́-то ку́ры (délatʹ komú-to kúry), which is a partial calque of French faire la cour, albeit with the cour replaced with the similar-sounding but unrelated кур (kur, “rooster”), etc. insinuate that *koxati is from an earlier *koksati evoking erotic rooster imagery; compare English cock for a similar semantic association. Perhaps for this reason, the word's early occurrences in writing are rare due to its apparent uncouth status, thus rendering its usage dialectal in some of the languages it is attested in.

Verb

*koxati impf (dialectal)

to make love to

Conjugation

Conjugation of *koxati, *koxa, *koxajetь (impf., -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*koxanьje	*koxati	*koxatъ	*koxalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*koxanъ	*koxajemъ
Active	*koxavъ	*koxaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*koxaxъ	*koxa	*koxa	*koxajǫ	*koxaješi	*koxajetь
Dual	*koxaxově	*koxasta	*koxaste	*koxajevě	*koxajeta	*koxajete
Plural	*koxaxomъ	*koxaste	*koxašę	*koxajemъ	*koxajete	*koxajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*koxaaxъ	*koxaaše	*koxaaše	—	*koxaji	*koxaji
Dual	*koxaaxově	*koxaašeta	*koxaašete	*koxajivě	*koxajita	—
Plural	*koxaaxomъ	*koxaašete	*koxaaxǫ	*koxajimъ	*koxajite	—

Derived terms

*orzkoxati
- *orzkošь

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old Ruthenian: кохати (koxati)
  - Belarusian: каха́ць (kaxácʹ)
  - Ukrainian: коха́ти (koxáty)
- Russian: коха́ть (koxátʹ) (dialectal)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: kochati
  - Czech: kochati; kochat, kochať (dialectal)
- Old Polish: kochać, chochać
  - Polish: kochać
- Slovak: kochať
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: kòchac
  - Slovincian: kôchac

References

^ Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “kochać”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 241
^ Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1983), “*koxati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 10 (*klepačь – *konь), Moscow: Nauka, page 110
^ Jakobson, Roman (1958) “While Reading Vasmer’s Dictionary”, in Selected Writings II. Words and Language., Paris: Mouton, published 1971, page 639

[1] Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “kochać”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 241

[2] Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1983), “*koxati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 10 (*klepačь – *konь), Moscow: Nauka, page 110

[3] Jakobson, Roman (1958) “While Reading Vasmer’s Dictionary”, in Selected Writings II. Words and Language., Paris: Mouton, published 1971, page 639

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