Where does “зиять” come from?
зиять (Russian) comes from Proto-Slavic zijati, from Proto-Balto-Slavic źiāˀ-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰh₁i-eh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁-.
зиять (Russian): to gape, to yawn
Ancestry of “зиять”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | zijati | to gape, to be wide open |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | źiāˀ- | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰh₁i-eh₂- | to gape, be wide open |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeh₁y- | to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰih₁- | — |