Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kukati

Of onomatopoeic origin, formed from the interjection ku-ku! (“sound of cuckooing”) + *-kati. Cognate with Lithuanian kukúoti, Latvian kukuôt and akin to Ancient Greek κόκκῡξ (kókkūx), Latin cucūlus, English cuckoo, Sanskrit कोकिल (kokila).

kùkati impf (perfective *kukovati)[1][2]

1. to cuckoo

• *kukuvica (“cuckoo, gowk”)
• *kukyrica (“partridge”)
• *kukъ (“vengeful spirit”), *kuka (“sprite, gnome”)
• *kučę (“dog”) (in South Slavic)

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: ку́кать (kúkatʹ) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: ку́кам (kúkam)
  • Macedonian: кука (kuka)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ку̏кати

    Latin script: kȕkati

  • Slovene: kūkati
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: kukati
  • Polish: kukać

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ку́кать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*kukati I”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 13 (*kroměžirъ – *kyžiti), Moscow: Nauka, page 89
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “кукам¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 86

Fientive verb from *kuka (“hook”) +‎ *-ati, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kaukāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- (“to hook, to elevate”). Equivalently, from *kovati (“to hew”) +‎ *-kati (especially for the meaning in Serbo-Croation and Russian). Cognate with Lithuanian kùkti (“to bend forward”), Latvian kukt (“to bow”), German hocken and akin to Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”).

kùkati pf (imperfective *čučěti)

1. to squat

   Synonym: *klękati

2. to pound

• *kučati (in Slovene, West Slavic)

• *kuka (“hook”)
• *kuča (“heap”)
• *čuka (“hill, peak”)
• *čukati (“to hew”)
• *čučedlo (“dummy, scarecrow”)

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: ку́чаць (kúčacʹ)
  • Russian: ку́кать (kúkatʹ, “to pound”) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: ку́кам (kúkam)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ку̏кати (“to hammer”) (obsolete)

    Latin script: kȕkati (“to hammer”) (obsolete)

    Latin script: čučati (“to squat, to crouch”)

  • Slovene: kúčati
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: kučat (dialectal)
  • Polish: kucać

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1977), “*čučati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 4 (*čaběniti – *děľa), Moscow: Nauka, page 126
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*kukati II”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 13 (*kroměžirъ – *kyžiti), Moscow: Nauka, page 89
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “кукам²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 86