Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mana
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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. |
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
Probably an n-extension of Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- (“to manipulate; great, good”), cognate with Latin mānēs (“ancestral spirits”), Latin manus (“hand, mound”). It is speculated that the initial meaning of the root is to make gestures → to manipulate (in Slavic) / to worship, pray (in Latin) → deception (in Slavic) / goodness (in Latin).
Despite the resemblance, a relation with Ancient Greek μανία (manía, “madness”) and Lithuanian mõnas (“apparition”) is doubtful. The later are usually derived from *men- (“to mind”).
Noun
*manà f
Alternative forms
Inflection
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *manà | *maně | *many |
| genitive | *many | *manu | *manъ |
| dative | *maně | *manama | *manamъ |
| accusative | *manǫ | *maně | *many |
| instrumental | *manojǫ, *manǫ** | *manama | *manami |
| locative | *maně | *manu | *manasъ, *manaxъ* |
| vocative | *mano | *maně | *many |
* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).
Derived terms
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- West Slavic:
- Polish: man (dialectal)
Further reading
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “мана”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1990), “*mana”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 17 (*lъžь – *matješьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 195