Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kaša

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

From an earlier *kasja, traditionally posited to be related to Lithuanian kóšti (“to filter, strain”), kõšė (“porridge”); Latvian kãst (“to leach”) (first proposed by Zubatý). Trubačev argues that the modern attested meaning developed from initial “ground cereal”. Compare analogous developments in Proto-Germanic *grūtiz (“groats”) (from *greutaną (“to grind”)), Russian се́чка (séčka, “grist cereal”) (from сечь (sečʹ, “to chop”)).

Further origin disputed:

• An old interpretation due to Potebnja (effectively) suggests origin from Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to scrape, to mow”) (whence Proto-Slavic *česati (“to scratch”), *kosati (“to beat”)), which is formally incompatable with the accentology of *kàša. Rejected by Vasmer, however, compare Polabian ťösör (“groats”) (< *kosorь).
• Iljinsky alternatively suggests possible relation to Proto-Slavic *kvasъ (“leaven”), region. *kvaša (whence Russian, Ukrainian ква́ша (kváša, “sour broth”)), *kyša (“slush”) ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kweh₂t(H)- (“to boil, to leaven”). Semantic aspect doubted by Trubačev.
• Būga compares Lithuanian kóšti with Latvian kuôšs (“clear, transparent, fine, delicate, beautiful”) (modern košs) but Endzelīns rejects it, claiming instead kinship of the Latvian adjective to Old Prussian kanxta (“fine, descent”).

In the past, comparison had been further drawn to Ancient Greek κόσκινον (kóskinon, “sieve”), Sanskrit कषति (kaṣati, “scratch”), both refuted by Vasmer.

Noun

*kàša f

1. (perhaps originally) ground cereal

   Synonyms: *melivo, *krupa

2. porridge, gruel, mush

Declension

Declension of *kaša (soft a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kaša	*kàši	*kàšę̇
genitive	*kàšę̇	*kàšu	*kàšь
dative	*kàšī	*kàšama	*kàšāmъ
accusative	*kàšǫ	*kàši	*kàšę̇
instrumental	*kàšējǫ, *kàšǭ*	*kàšama	*kàšāmī
locative	*kàšī	*kàšu	*kàšāsъ
vocative	*kàše	*kàši	*kàšę̇

^* The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Derived terms

• *kašica, *kašьka (diminutive)
• *kašьnъ (“pertaining to porridge”)
• *kašavъ, *kašęstъ (“mushy”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: каша (kaša, “cereal meal”)
    • Belarusian: ка́ша (káša)
    • Russian: ка́ша (káša)
      • → English: kasha
      • → Romanian: cașă (Moldova)
      • → Tofa: һааша (haaša)
      • → Yakut: хааһы (qaahı)
      • → Yiddish: קאַשע (kashe)
    • Ukrainian: ка́ша (káša)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: ка́ша (káša)
  • Macedonian: каша (kaša)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ка̏ша

    Latin script: kȁša

  • Slovene: káša (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: kašě
    • Czech: kaše
  • Polish: kasza
  • Slovak: kaša

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Hungarian: kása
  • → Romanian: cașă
  • → Old Norse: káza

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ка́ша”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1983), “*kaša”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 9 (*jьz – *klenьje), Moscow: Nauka, page 158
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “каша¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 297
• “košti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012