Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bogъ

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.

Derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- (“to divide”).

Cognates include Sanskrit भग (bhaga, “happiness, welfare, prosperity”), Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬔𐬀 (baga, “share”), Tocharian A pāk (“part, portion, share”). The following meanings have been displaced by Etymology 2 and are attested mainly in compounds and derived terms. Doublet of *banъ.

*bȍgъ m

1. share, cut, wealth, luck

   *čь̀rnъ bȍgъ ― bad luck

   *bě̃lъ bȍgъ ― good luck

• *bogatěti
• *bogatiti (sę)
• *bogatьstvo

• East Slavic:
  • ⇒ Old Ruthenian: за прости богъ (za prosti boh, “free of charge, for free”)
  • ⇒ Ukrainian: за мали́м бо́гом (za malým bóhom, “almost”) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • ⇒ Bulgarian: да бога (da boga, “abundantly, in abundance, very”)
  • ⇒ Macedonian: да бога (da boga, “abundantly, in abundance, very”) (dialectal)
  • ⇒ Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: до (зла) бога (“abundantly, in abundance, very”)

    Latin script: do (zla) boga (“abundantly, in abundance, very”)

  • ⇒ Slovene: zlego boga uživa (“he's doing badly”) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • ⇒ Czech: do boha (“abundantly, in abundance, very”)
    • ⇒ Moravian: na ty bohy (“fortunately”)
  • ⇒ Old Polish: do boga (“abundantly, in abundance, very”)
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: bog (“Christmas gift”)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Lithuanian: bagà (“property, treasure”)

Identical with Etymology 1. According to consensus, a semantic loan from Scythian languages. Displaced earlier *divъ.

Semantic cognates include Old Persian 𐏎 (BG /⁠baga⁠/, “god”), Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬖𐬀 (baγa, “god”).

*bȍgъ m (diminutive *božę or *božьcь or *božьkъ)

1. (religion) god

   *dàďь bože! ― god willing!

   *bȍgъ dàďь! ― god willing!

   *ne dàďь bože! ― god forbid!

   *o bože! ― oh god!

• *božьnica
• *božьba

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: богъ (bogŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: богъ (boh), бѡгъ (bôh), бугъ (buh) — Middle Ukrainian
      • Belarusian: бог (boh)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: бог (boh), буг (buh)
      • Ukrainian: бог (boh), біг (bih), бі (bi)
    • Russian: бог (bog)
  • Old Novgorodian: бого (bogo)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: богъ (bogŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰱⱁⰳⱏ (bogŭ)

  • Bulgarian: бог (bog)
  • Macedonian: бог (bog)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бо̑г

    Latin script: bȏg

    • Slavomolisano: bog
  • Slovene: bọ̑g (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: bóh
    • Czech: bůh
  • Old Polish: bóg
    • Polish: bóg
    • Silesian: bōg
  • Polabian: büg
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: bóg
    • Slovincian: bóg
  • Slovak: boh
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: bog
    • Upper Sorbian: bóh

From Etymology 1. For contrast, cf. *bolgъ (“good, nice; bad”), Latin sacer (“sacred, holy; cursed”).

*bogъ

1. poor

   Synonyms: *ubògъ, *bědьnъ

   Antonym: *bogàtъ

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: бо́гий (bógij) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • ⇒ Bulgarian: бо́жек (bóžek, “beggar”), бо́жак (bóžak, “who begs for God so that he eats”); бо́жьак (bóžʹak, “beggar”) (dialectal)
  • ⇒ Macedonian: божјак (božjak, “beggar”)
  • ⇒ Serbo-Croatian:

    Latin script: bȍžjāk (“beggar; wretch”), bȍgālj (“beggar”); bogalȉja (“beggar”) (dialectal)

    Cyrillic script: бо̏жја̄к (“beggar; wretch”), бо̏га̄љ (“beggar”); богали̏ја (dialectal)

  • Slovene: bö́γi (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • ⇒ Czech:
    • Moravian: božátko (“poor thing”)

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1975), “*bogъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 2 (*bez – *bratrъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 161
• Skok, Petar (1971) “Proto-Slavic/bogъ”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 178
• Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 161
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume II, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1543
• Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 65
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “бог”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Brückner, Aleksander (1927) “bóg”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna, page 33