Where does “покивать” come from?
покивать (Russian) comes from Russian кива́ть, from Proto-Slavic kyvati, from Proto-Indo-European kh₁uyéti, from Proto-Indo-European keh₁w- — to wobble, swing.
покивать (Russian): to nod a few times
Ancestry of “покивать”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | кива́ть | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | kyvati | to nod |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₁uyéti | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₁w- | to wobble, swing |