Where does “смрьдѣти” come from?
смрьдѣти (Old Church Slavonic) comes from Proto-Slavic smьrděti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic smirˀdḗˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- — to bite, to sting.
смрьдѣти (Old Church Slavonic): to stink
Ancestry of “смрьдѣти”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | smьrděti | to stink |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | smirˀdḗˀtei | to stink |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)merd- | to bite, to sting |