Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/drabъ

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.

Based on similarities with Proto-West Germanic *trappā (“staircase”) (whence German Treppe (“stairs”), Dutch trap (“staircase”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dreb-, from an extension of *derH- (“to tear, to tug”). The long grade in Slavic is likely due to Winter's law.

Per Vasmer, Russian "soft" vocalism is of expressive origin.

*drabъ m

1. staircase (of а ladder)
2. (by generalization) part of framework

• *drabь f

• *drabina (“ladder”)
• *drabьcь (“vane, oak of plow”)

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: дра́бы pl (dráby, “ribs”)
  • Russian: дря́бы pl (drjáby, “carriage”)
• West Slavic:
  • Kashubian: drôbka, drôb
  • Old Polish: drab
    • Masovian Polish: drabia
    • ⇒ Polish: drabka (regional)
    • ⇒ Silesian: drabka

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*drabъ/мн. *draby”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 100
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “дрябы”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

• Trubačev tentatively identifies/relates it with Etymology 1.
• Derksen connects it instead to Lithuanian dróbė (“linen cloth”), drabùžis (“garment, clothing”), drãbanas (“(dialectal) rags”), Latvian drẽbe (“piece of clothing”). Further akin to Lithuanian drėbti (“to strike”), Latvian drêbt (“to beat”), Proto-Germanic *drepaną (“to hit”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreb- (“to shear, to beat”). Perhaps also related to Proto-Slavic *drebъxa (“cloth, dress”) from *dʰrebʰ- (“to fracture”), as well as to Ancient Greek δρέπω (drépō, “to pluck”), Proto-Slavic *drāpàti (“to scratch”).

Principally homophonous with Old Czech dráb (“beadle”), of German origin. From there may also descend colloquial Ukrainian драб (drab, “begger”).

*drabъ m^[1]

1. clothing, rag

• West Slavic:
  • Moravian Czech: zdraby pl
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: draby pl

• Derksen, Rick (2015) “drobė”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 141
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “драб”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka