< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mačьka
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This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence. |
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
Most likely from *maca (“pussycat, kitty”) + *-ьka (diminutive suffix); however, note that *maca is only attested in South Slavic. Possibly it used to have a wider distribution. Alternatively perhaps from the same onomatopeic form that gave rise to *maca independently suffixed with *-ьka; compare Serbo-Croatian mac (“utterance used to summon cats”).
Inflection
Declension of *mačьka (hard a-stem)
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *mačьka | *mačьcě | *mačьky |
| genitive | *mačьky | *mačьku | *mačьkъ |
| dative | *mačьcě | *mačьkama | *mačьkamъ |
| accusative | *mačьkǫ | *mačьcě | *mačьky |
| instrumental | *mačьkojǫ, *mačьkǫ** | *mačьkama | *mačьkami |
| locative | *mačьcě | *mačьku | *mačьkasъ, *mačьkaxъ* |
| vocative | *mačьko | *mačьcě | *mačьky |
* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
** 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).
** 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).
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Carpathian Rusyn: ма́чка (máčka)
- South Slavic:
- West Slavic:
- Non-Slavic:
- → Hungarian: macska
Further reading
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1990), “*macьkъ / *macьka / *mačьkъ / *mačьka”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 17 (*lъžь – *matješьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 113
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