Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/gadati

Disputed. Derksen lists three hypotheses:

• From an elongated ō-grade Proto-Indo-European *gʰōd-, from root *gʰed- (“to take, to hold, to find”). Cognate with Proto-Germanic *getaną (“to get, to perceive, to acquire”) (the source of English get) and akin to ne-infix presents Ancient Greek χανδάνω (khandánō, “to contain”), Latin prehendō (“to seize, to take”). Favoured by Vasmer.
• Related to synonymous *gatati, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gʷet-, *gʷed- (“to say, to speak”). If so, then akin to Proto-Germanic *kweþaną (“to say”), Sanskrit गदति (gádati) (perhaps originating from a mixture of *gat- with वदति (vádati)). Supported by Berneker, Chernykh, Seebold, who also give as cognates Lithuanian godóti (“to honor, to respect, to think, to believe”), Latvian gãdât (“to take care, to look after”) (further related to Lithuanian godẽlė (“thought, guess”), gùosti (“to care”)).
• Possibly related to Proto-Slavic *goditi (“to please”), *gaďati (“to aim, to make relation”), Lithuanian guõdas (“worth, honour”), Latvian gadît (“to happen to find”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to suit, to join, to gather”). Favoured by Sławski, Zubatý.

In view of Winter's law, the latest option is phonetically most preferable.

*gādàti impf (perfective *ganǫti)[1][2]

1. to guess, to conjecture

   Synonym: *gatati

2. to talk, to argue (Northern Slavic)

• *ganati (“to utter, to talk”)
• *gatati (“to guess”)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: гадати (gadati)
    • Belarusian: гада́ць (hadácʹ)
    • Russian: гада́ть (gadátʹ)
    • Ukrainian: гада́ти (hadáty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: гадати (gadati)
  • Bulgarian: гада́я (gadája)
  • Macedonian: гада (gada)
  • Slovene: gádati (tonal orthography) (rare)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: hádat
  • Kashubian: gadac
  • Polish: gadać (“to jabber, to talk”)
  • Silesian: gŏdać
  • Slovak: hádať
  • Slovincian: gȧ̃dăc
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: gadaś

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993), “гада́ть”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 1 (а – пантомима), 3rd edition, Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 175
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “гада́ть”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*gadati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 77
• Georgiev V. I., editor (1971), “гадая”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 223
• “godoti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012