The Wu and M$ yn dialects widely attest forms meaning 'to pick up', but a common etymon has proven elusive due to the great divergence of phonetic form. By using a combination of the comparative method and strata analysis, we have determined that the etymon is 摭zhi, analyzed as 之石切in the Gu$angyun (廣韻). By applying regular sound change rules, modern dialect forms can be traced back to Old Chinese. We further discuss some principles regarding the study of cognates across dialects.