Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kъbьlъ

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.

Cognate with Lithuanian kùbilas (“vat, tube”), Latvian kubls (“id.”), but the exact type of relationship is uncertain:

• If inherited, them probably from Proto-Indo-European *kubʰ- (“coiling, arching”) + *-ьlъ, whence Ancient Greek κοῦφος (koûphos, “elastic, nimble”). Less likely (for phonetic reasons) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewb- (“to mold, to distort”), whence Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos, “cube”), possibly Old Norse skop (“mockery”). Favoured by Mladenov.
• Miklošič, Berneker, Vasmer: Alternatively, borrowed from Old High German kūbilo (cf. modern German Kübel, Hungarian köböl), ultimately from Latin cūpula (“small cask”).

The Baltic terms could be Germanic or Slavic borrowings.

*kъbьlъ m

1. pail, keg

• *kъbъlъ, *kъbelъ
• *kubьlъ (certainly a Germanic borrowing)
  • Polish: kubeł

• *kubъ (“mug, beaker”)
• *čubъ (“crest”)

• *bъkъlъ (probably a blend of the current term and unrelated Latin baucālis (“bocal”))

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: къбьлъ (kŭbĭlŭ), къбелъ (kŭbelŭ)
    • Russian: кобел (kobel), кобл (kobl)
    • Ukrainian: кобе́л (kobél) (dialectal); гбол (hbol) (obsolete)
      • ⇒ Ukrainian: ко́блик (kóblyk) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:
    • Church Slavonic: къблъ (kŭblŭ) (Serbian); къбьлъ (kŭbĭlŭ) (Russian)
  • Bulgarian: къ́бъл (kǎ́bǎl)
  • Macedonian: кобел (kobel)
  • Old Serbo-Croatian: kabao, kabal
    • Serbo-Croatian:

      Cyrillic script: ка̀бао; ка̀бал (dialectal)

      Latin script: kàbao; kàbal (dialectal)

  • Slovene: kebèl, kábel, kóbel; kȏbel (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: gbel, kbel; hbel (dialectal)
  • Old Polish: gbeł
    • Middle Polish: gbel
  • Old Slovak: gbel, kbel
    • Slovak: gbel; gbal (dialectal)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Albanian: kobel
  • → Greek: κούβελος (koúvelos), κουβέλι (kouvéli)

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*kъbьlъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 13 (*kroměžirъ – *kyžiti), Moscow: Nauka, page 171
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кобел”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “къбъл”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 179