Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bьčela
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bikelāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰi-k-el-eh₂, from *bʰey- (“bee”). Cognate with Proto-Celtic *bikos (< *bʰi-k-os), Latin fūcus (< *bʰoy-k-os), Proto-Germanic *bijǭ. Baltic cognates (Latvian bite, Lithuanian bìtė, Old Prussian bitte) would in that case render the Proto-Balto-Slavic forms as *bikelē and *bitē.
The Psalterium Sinaiticum contains the only Old Church Slavonic instance of бьчела (bĭčela) but since the form бъчела (bŭčela) is just as rare, it is impossible to precisely reconstruct the late Proto-Slavic form of this word on the basis of Old Church Slavonic. Since this Proto-Slavic word was an oxytone, none of the descendant languages retain a reflex of the medial weak jer.
Alternatively (obsolete) explained as a deverbative of *bučati (“to make noise, roar”) and reconstructed as *bъčela. A bee is, therefore, the one that makes noise.
Declension
singular | dual | plural | |
---|---|---|---|
nominative | *bьčelà | *bьčèlě | *bьčelỳ |
genitive | *bьčelỳ | *bьčelù | *bьčèlъ |
dative | *bьčelě̀ | *bьčelàma | *bьčelàmъ |
accusative | *bьčelǫ̀ | *bьčèlě | *bьčelỳ |
instrumental | *bьčelòjǫ, *bьčèlǫ** | *bьčelàma | *bьčelàmī |
locative | *bьčelě̀ | *bьčelù | *bьčelàsъ, *bьčelàxъ* |
vocative | *bьčelo | *bьčèlě | *bьčelỳ |
** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).
Derived terms
- *bьčelę n
- *bьčelica f
- *bьčelinьcь n
- *bьčelinъ
- *bьčelinъkъ m
- *bьčelьjь
- *bьčelьnica f
- *bьčelьnikъ m
- *bьčelьnъ
- *bьčelъka f
- *bьčeľařь m
See also
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: бьчела (bĭčela), бъчела (bŭčela), бчела (bčela), пъчела (pŭčela), пчела (pčela)
- Old Novgorodian: бьцела (bĭcela)
- South Slavic:
- West Slavic:
References
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*bъčela”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 104
- Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “bъčela”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volumes 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 456
- Derksen, Rick (2008) “*bьčelà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 72: “f. ā (b) ‘bee’”
- Klotz, Emanuel (2017) “*biče̱lā͘ «bьčela»”, in Urslawisches Wörterbuch [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in German), 1st edition, Wien: Facultas, →ISBN, page 74
- Olander, Thomas (2001) “bьčela bьčely”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b/c bee (PR 135)”