Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/korabľь

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.

Uncertain. Probably from *čerti (“to cut, to separate; to peel the bark off trees”) or from *korà (“bark”), it might be also related to *kȏrbъ (“basket made of bark”). Suffixed with *-jь. Interfix -(a)b- is unclear, but compare -ub- in Bulgarian кору̀ба (korùba, “tree hollow”).

In the past it was believed to be borrowed from Ancient Greek κᾱρᾰ́βῐον (kārắbĭon), but it must have been borrowed before 2st century CE, when Ancient Greek β (b) was still pronunciated /b/ and not /β/~/v/, but such early borrowing from Greek is dubious for historical reasons, and sense “ship” is attested late. Original meaning “hollowed out tree trunk” of the Slavic word suggests native origin, and Greek “ship” is borrowed from Slavic.

Compare Old Norse karfi (“longship”), Finnish karvas (“little boat”).

*korãbľь m

1. hollowed out tree trunk
2. dugout (small long and narrow boat made from a hollowed-out log)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: корабль (korablĭ), кораблъ (korablŭ) — rare
    • Old Ruthenian: корабль (korablʹ)
      • Belarusian: карабе́ль (karabjélʹ)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: корабе́ль (korabélʹ)
      • Ukrainian: корабе́ль (korabélʹ)
    • Russian: кора́бль (koráblʹ), кора́бель (korábelʹ) (dialectal) (see there for further descendants)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: корабл҄ь (korablʹĭ), корабь (korabĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⱃⰰⰱⰾ҄ⱐ (korablʹĭ), ⰽⱁⱃⰰⰱⱐ (korabĭ)

    • >? Bulgarian: ко́раб (kórab)
    • >? Macedonian: кораб (korab)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ко̏ра̄бал, ко̀рабљ, ⇒ (dialectal) кора̏бла

    Latin script: kȍrābal, kòrablj, ⇒ (dialectal) korȁbla

  • Slovene: korabəlj (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: koráb, ⇒ korábě
    • Czech: koráb
  • Old Polish: korab
    • Polish: korab
  • Slovak: koráb, ⇒ korába, korab
  • Sorbian:
    • ⇒ Lower Sorbian: kórabje n, kórabja f
    • ⇒ Upper Sorbian: korabija f

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Romanian: corabie
  • →? Byzantine Greek: κᾱρᾰ́βῐον (kārắbĭon)

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1984), “*korabjь / *korabъ / *korabь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 11 (*konьcь – *kotьna(ja)), Moscow: Nauka, page 44
• Jiří Rejzek (2007) “koráb”, in Český etymologický slovník (in Czech), Leda, page 311

• Václav Machek (1968) “koráb 2°”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka českého , 2nd edition, Prague: Academia, page 276
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “корабе́ль”, in Етимологічний словник української мови (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Martynaŭ, V. U., Tsykhun, G. A., editors (1978–2017), “Карабе́ль”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы (in Belarusian), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka
• Havlová, Eva, Erhart, Adolf, editors (1996), “korabľь”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského (in Czech), numbers 6 (klęti – kuditi), Prague: Academia, →ISBN, page 337
• Schuster-Šewc, Heinz (1981) “ns. korabja”, in Historisch-etymologisches Wörterbuch der ober- und niedersorbischen Sprache (in German), numbers 9 (kónc – kruženk), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, →ISBN, page 619
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “кораб”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 626