Cognate Set 1181 – Meaning: swim

IE-CoR reference form:
*pleu̯-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Indo-European
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
Hellenic, Indic, and Slavic lexemes from PIE *pleu̯- 'to swim, float' (LIV² 487-488, cf. Beekes 2010:1208-1209, EWAia II:194-196). Assignment of the Slavic lexemes to this class follows LIV² 487-488 and other sources, but cf. reservations of Derksen 1996:116-117, Derksen 2008:403.
Found in clades:
Hellenic, Indic, Slavic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 3 clades by 29 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
79   Bulgarian pluvam плувам ˈpɫuvəm ˈpluvam
98   Belarusian plavac′ плаваць ˈpɫɑ̈vɑ̈tsʲ ˈplavatsʲ Multidirectional verb. Unidirectional verb: 'плыць, плысці'.
93   Czech plavat ˈplɑ̈vɑ̈t ˈplavat
95   Sorbian: Lower plěś plʲɪɕ plɪɕ Unidirectional verb; multidirectional: 'plěwaś'.
94   Sorbian: Upper płuwać ˈpʰuwɑ̈tʃ ˈphuwatʃ
80   Macedonian pliva плива ˈplivɑ̈ ˈpliva
88   Polish pływać ˈpwɘ̟vatɕ ˈpwɨvatɕ Multidirectional verb, unidiretional: 'płynąć'.
97   Russian plyt' плыть pɫɨtsʲ plitʲ Unidirectional verb; multidirectional: 'плавать'.
83   Serbo-Croat plivati ˈpɫîvɑ̈ti ˈplîvati
91   Slovak plávať ˈplɑ̈ːvɑ̈c ˈplaːvac
85   Slovene plavati ˈplɑ̈́ːʋɑti ˈpláːvati
99   Ukrainian plavati плавати ˈpɫɑ̈βɐtɪ̽ ˈplaʋatɪ Multidirectional verb. Unidirectional verb: 'плисти/пливти/плинути'.
21   Vedic: Early plu- प्लु- plu- plu- root
78   Old Church Slavonic plavati плавати plɑʋɑti plavati An alternative lexeme is 'плѹти', historically with the same root.
22   Pali pilavati/palavati pɪlɐʋɐtɪ pilavati
23   Sinhalese pīnanavā පීනනවා
90   Polabian plajĕ ˈplajɘ ˈplajɘ 3 sg.
89   Kashubian płiwac ˈpwɘ̟vɑ̈ts ˈpwivats
9   Greek: Cappadocian pléfō πλέφω ˈplefo ˈplefo
13   Tsakonian: Peloponnese (a)préou (α)πρέου (a)ˈpre̞u (a)ˈpre̞u
14   Tsakonian: Propontis pileúgo πιλεύγω piˈlevɣo̞ piˈlevɣo̞
87   Old Polish pływać ˈpɫɨva̠tɕ ˈplivatɕ
92   Old Czech plúti ˈpɫuːci ˈpluːtji Other variants are 'plavati, plývati'.
96   Old Novgorod priplyvati приплывати prʲipɫɯˈʋɑtʲi prʲiplɯˈvatʲi As Slavic languages do not differ (at least as to the root, not alwas as to the whole word) between swimming (of living beings) and floating (of things) it can be assumed that the proper Swadesh term contained the same root as.
100   Rusyn plávatɪ ˈplɑ̈(v/β)ɑ̈tɘ̟ ˈplavatɪ
81   Macedonian: Suho plavèm plɐˈvʲe̞m plaˈvem
82   Macedonian: Visoka plàw′a ˈplɑ̈βʲɐ ˈplavja
86   Slovene: Kostel plavati ˈplɑ̈ːʋɑ̈t ˈplaːvat
84   Slovene: Early Modern plavati
References
  • Beekes, Robert: 1208-1209
    Cf. s.v. Ancient Greek πλέω 'to travel by sea, sail, navigate', from PIE *pleu- 'sail, flow'. Primary thematic πλέ(ϝ)ω is a PIE formation (cf. Skt. plávate 'to swim, flow', OCS pluti 'to flow, sail', Lat. pluit 'it rains', etc.).
  • Derksen, Rick: 403, 406
    S.v. Proto-Slavic *plavati 'swim, sail' & *pluti 'swim, sail'. "It seems that Balto-Slavic offers evidence for both *pleh₃u- and *pleu- (cf. Derksen 1996:116-117). LIV (485, 487) distinguishes between *pleh₃- and *pleu-, while entertaining the possibility of a *u̯e-present for the former root. Balto-Slavic *pleh₃u- may be a conflation of these two roots. The existence of an acute root *pl(j)ouʔd- < *pleud-, cf. Lith. pláusti 'wash, bathe' (alongside pláuti), OIc. fljóta 'flow', may have added to the confusion."
  • Derksen, Rick: 116-117
    Proposes a Balto-Slavic reconstruction *pleHutó- or *ploHutó- to account for the acute root (cf. Gk. πλώω < *pleh₃-).
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred: II:194-196
    S.v. Ved √plav- '(im Wasser) schwimmen, (im Luftraum) schweben, gleiten' (cf. YAv. fra-frāuuaiiāhi 'du schwemmest fort'), from PIE *pleu̯- (cf. Gk. πλέω 'schiffe, segle, schwimme', Lat. pluit 'es regnet', OHG flouwen 'spülen, waschen', Lith. pláuti 'spülen, abwaschen', OCS pluti 'fließen, schiffen', etc.).
  • Rix, Helmut: 487-488
    S.v. *pleu̯- 'schwimmen, schweben' (IEW 835-7).