Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dada

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.

From nursery language. Reduplication of *da, possibly the result of voicing *ta, from *tàta (“father”). Compare *màma (“mother”), *bàba (“grandmother”) and *tetà (“aunt”).

Apparently, we should abandon Sobolevsky's etymology, according to which Old East Slavic дꙗ́дꙗ (djádja, “uncle”), дѧ́дѧ (dę́dę), from *дѣ́дѧ (*dě́dę) < дѣ́дъ (dě́dŭ) < Proto-Slavic *dě̀dъ (“grandfather”).

*dàda m

1. (childish) senior relative in the family (father, uncle, older woman, etc.)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: дꙗ́дꙗ (djádja, “uncle; prince's tutor”) (with expressive palatalization)
    • Old Ruthenian: дꙗ́дꙗ (djádja, “uncle”)
      • Belarusian: дзя́дзя (dzjádzja, “uncle; older man”) (childish)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: дя́дя (djádja, “uncle”)
      • Ukrainian: дя́дя (djádja, “uncle; older man”); дя́дьо (djádʹo, “father”) (dialectal)
        • → Polish: dziadzia, dziadzio (“uncle”) (dialectal)
      • → Lithuanian: dė̃dė (“uncle”)
    • Russian: дя́дя (djádja); де́дя (dédja), дядь (djadʹ, “uncle; older man”) (dialectal) (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Novgorodian: дꙗ́дꙗ (djádja)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: да́да f (dáda, “older sister”), деда (deda), до́да (dóda, “nanny”) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: дада f (dada, “older sister”); дода (doda) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: да̏да (“older sister”), да̂до (“dad”), до́да f (“mom”), да̄де̏ (dialectal)

    Latin script: dȁda (“older sister”), dâdo (“dad”), dóda f (“mom”), dādȅ (dialectal)

• West Slavic:
  • Polish: dåda (“grandmother; grandfather”), dωda (dialectal)
  • Slovak: dada f (“nanny, wet nurse”) (obsolete); ďad, ďaď, ďaďo (“elder, leader”)
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: dowda, dou̯da (“grandma”) (dialectal)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Albanian: džadža (“father's brother, uncle”)