вертеть

Forms

верте́ть (vertétʹ) impf (perfective поверте́ть)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic вьртѣти (vĭrtěti), from Proto-Slavic *vьrtěti (“to turn”).^[1][2][3] The other Slavic languages have Ukrainian вертіти (vertity), Old Church Slavonic врьтѣти (vrĭtěti) (for Greek κυκλοῦν (kukloûn, “to turn round”)), Bulgarian въртя (vǎrtja), Serbo-Croatian vȑtjeti, Slovene vrtéti, Czech vrtěti and Polish wiercić.^[4][3] Other vowel grades of the root are in ворот, воротить and веретено.^[4]

It goes back to Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”), an extension of *wer-.^[5][6][2] The cognates include Lithuanian versti (“to turn, to overturn”), Latvian vērst (“to turn, to direct”), Old Prussian wīrst (“becomes”), Latin vertō (“to turn”), Sanskrit वर्तते (vártate, “turns”) and Old High German werdan (“to become”).^[4][6][1] Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Balto-Slavic *wirtḗˀtei and Proto-Indo-European *wr̥t- for the zero grade of the Slavic verb.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chernykh dates вьртѣти in Old Russian from the 11th century, with the later вьртѣтися, вьртежь “screw” and вьртливъ.^[2] SDRJa's quotations are from the 14th century: an inscription shows Saint George being turned on the wheel (на кольсь вьртѩть), and a Prologue tells of an Ethiopian demon who seized the monk Andrew „и нача имъ вѣртѣти на многъ ча(с)” “and began to whirl him about for a long time”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Russian of the 11th to 17th centuries already had many prefixed verbs: завертѣти, навертѣти, обвертѣти, перевертѣти, развертѣти, провертѣти, свертѣти and others.^[5] In the 18th century one turned a wheel or a millstone, the wind spun weathercocks, and partners were whirled round in a dance.^[8] The figurative вертеть кем “to manipulate someone, to twist someone round one's finger” is recorded by Michelson,^[9] and Dal gives the sense “to drill, to bore”.^[10] Вертушка appears in dictionaries from 1780 and вертлявый from 1847.^[2]

Timeline

• 11th century – вьртѣти in Old Russian, according to Chernykh.^[2]
• 14th century – на кольсь вьртѩть “turn on the wheel” in an inscription.^[7]
• 1780 – вертушка in Nordstet's dictionary.^[2]
• 1847 – вертлявый in the dictionary of 1847.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To turn, to spin, to set something rotating: вертеть руль is to turn the steering wheel.^[11][12][1]
2. To turn something this way and that in one's hands;^[11][13] (with the instrumental) to move a part of the body from side to side: собака вертит хвостом “the dog wags its tail”.^[11][13]
3. (colloquial, figurative, with the instrumental) To manipulate someone, to order someone about as one pleases.^[11][13]
4. To make something by twisting, especially to roll a cigarette.^[11][14]

Word family

• вертеться
• повертеть
• завертеть
• вертлявый
• вёрткий
• вертун
• вертушка
• верчение

Related words

• ворот
• воротить
• веретено
• верста
• вращать
• Old East Slavic вьртѣти (vĭrtěti)

Usage notes

The present tense is верчу́, ве́ртишь.^[11][4] The phrase как ни верти means “whichever way you look at it”.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. вертеть
3. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 539
4. ^ a b c d Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 301
5. ^ a b Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 105
6. ^ a b Shansky, N. M.; Zhuravlev, A. F. (eds.) (1963–2007), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], vols. 1–10 (A–M), Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, p. 3, s.v. вертеть
7. ^ a b Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. s.v. вьртѣти
8. ^ Sorokin, Yu. S. et al. (eds.) (1984–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XVIII veka [Словарь русского языка XVIII века], vols. 1–24, Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. s.v. вертеть
9. ^ Michelson, M. I. (1902–1903), Russkaja mysl' i reč'. Svoe i čužoe. Opyt russkoj frazeologii [Русская мысль и речь. Свое и чужое. Опыт русской фразеологии], 2 vols., Sankt-Peterburg, p. s.v. вертеть
10. ^ Dal', V. I. (1880–1882), Tolkovyj slovar' živago velikorusskago jazyka [Толковый словарь живаго великорусскаго языка], 2nd ed., 4 vols., Sankt-Peterburg / Moskva: M. O. Vol'f, p. s.v. вертеть
11. ^ a b c d e f g Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. вертеть
12. ^ Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. вертеть
13. ^ a b c Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. вертеть
14. ^ Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. вертеть