Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/taptéi

Unclear:

• Stang (1966): From Proto-Indo-European tetópe ~ *tetpḗr (reduplicated perfect)[1], originally implying “to stay, to remain” → “to become”.
• Svennson: From Proto-Indo-European tópe ~ *tpré (middle root aorist)[2] with inchoative meaning (probably “to get exerted, to be applied”).

In either case, it is presumed that the present stem is innovated from the aorist.

Further origin probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tep- (“to trample, to tread, to inflict”) (per Mladenov, Zubatý), whence also Proto-Slavic *tepti (“to flog, to beat”), Latvian tept (“to smear”), Lithuanian tèpti (“to smear”), perhaps also Lithuanian tapýti (“to sculpt”). Possibly also related to Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos, “place, field”), τοπάζω (topázō, “I strive towards; I think, I guess”) (alternatively derived from a pre-Greek substrate).

*taptéi

1. (possibly originally) to get stuck, moulded
2. to become

Most likely mobile accent.

• present conjugations: n-inflex, ye-present;
• preterite conjugations: thematic aorist (Latvian), ē-preterite (Lithuanian).

• East Baltic:[3]
  • Latvian: tapt
  • Lithuanian: tapti
• Slavic:
  • >? Proto-Slavic: *topiti, *topnǫti (“to submerge, to plunge”) (possibly)

• “tapti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012