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

Definitions

  1. to nod a few times

Ancestry of “покивать”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianкива́тьto nod, to beckon
2Proto-Slavickyvatito nod
3Proto-Indo-Europeankh₁uyéti—
4Proto-Indo-Europeankeh₁w-to wobble, swing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European keh₁w- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kh₁uyéti →Every word from Proto-Slavic kyvati →