Proto-Slavic *<i>rъtъ</i>: Reconstruction of the Semantics and Etymology

A number of conflicting hypotheses about the semantics and etymology of the Proto-Slavic word *rъtъ have been put forward. This article provides a detailed analysis of these hypotheses. The available material from Slavic written monuments and dialects suggests that the earliest meaning of *rъtъ was likely ‘animal snout’. Among the etymological hypotheses, the following deserve the most attention: a) *rъtъ derives from Proto-Indo-European *rutós, a participle of the verb *ruH- ( Proto-Slavic *ryti); b) *rъtъ is a proper Proto-Slavic derivative of *ryti ‘to dig’, modelled after the pattern *plyti ‘to float’ : *plъtъ ‘raft’; c) *rъtъ is related to the verb *rypati. According to the arguments presented in the article, the second of these hypotheses appears to be the most probable.