Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mečь

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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

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unknown. In the past usually believed to be borrowed from Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (mēkeis), from Proto-Germanic *mēkijaz. However, this idea is rejected by modern etymologists e.g. Pronk-Tiethoff,[2] Boryś,[1] ESSJa,[3] because the vowels don't match (*měčь expected). Only Derksen recognizes the possibility of borrowing.[4]

Relation with Georgian მახვილი (maxvili, “sword”), Udi мех (meχ, “sickle”), Lezgi мaх (maχ, “iron”) was also suggested, but vowels are still problematic. Relation with Tsez мачӏа (mač’a, “sword”) or Middle Persian (magēn) is also unlikely.[5]

Per Pronk-Tiethoff and Boryś: borrowing from unknown source. Per Petri Kallio Germanic and Slavic words are Wanderworts.[6]

Per ESSJa: Slavic and Germanic words are borrowed from Celtic, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *mik-n- (“to sparkle, shine”) (cf. Proto-Celtic *mikneti > Old Irish domeiccethar (“to despise”), Welsh dirmygu (“to disdain, scorn, spurn”)), from Proto-Indo-European *meyk- (“to twinkle, blink”).

Other propositions include: back-formation from Proto-Slavic *metati (“to throw”), relation with Latin mactō (“to kill, slaughter”), or with Ancient Greek μᾰ́χη (mákhē, “battle, combat”), μάχαιρα (mákhaira, “large knife, short sword, dirk, dagger”).

Noun

*mèčь m[1][2][3][4][7]

  1. sword
Declension
Declension of *mèčь (soft o-stem, accent paradigm b)
singular dual plural
nominative *mèčь *mečà *mečì
genitive *mečà *mečù *mèčь
dative *mečù *mečèma *mèčemъ
accusative *mèčь *mečà *mečę̇̀
instrumental *mečь̀mь, *mečèmь* *mečèma *mèči
locative *mečì *mečù *mèčixъ
vocative *meču *mečà *mečì
* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.
Derived terms
nouns
adjectives
Descendants
  • East Slavic:
    • Old East Slavic: мечь (mečĭ)
  • South Slavic:
  • West Slavic:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “miecz”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 323
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia E. (2013) The Germanic loanwords in Proto-Slavic‎, Amsterdam - New York: Rodopi, →ISBN
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1992), “mečь/mьčь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 18 (*matoga – *mękyšьka), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 38
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mèčь; *mь̀čь”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 305: “m. jo (b) ‘sword’”
  5. ^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “меч”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
  6. ^ Petri Kallio (2015) “The stratigraphy of the Germanic loanwords in Finnic”, in John Ole Askedal, Hans Frede Nielsen, editors, Early Germanic Languages in Contact, John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 27
  7. ^ Olander, Thomas (2001) “mečь (?mьčь)”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b sværd (PR 134)”

Further reading

  • Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “меч”, in Етимологічний словник української мови (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
  • Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “меч”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 775
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