Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/sьrbъ

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.

From Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to watch over, protect”).

Indo-European cognates include Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (haraⁱti), 𐬵𐬀𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (ha^uruuaⁱti, “he guards”), Proto-Scythian *harv- (> *xъrvatъ, *xъrvatinъ).

*sьrbъ m

1. ally
2. kinsperson (used as an endonym)

• *pasьrbъ
• *sьrbьskъ
• *sьrbьstvo
• *sьrbovati

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: *сьрбъ (*sĭrbŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: сербъ (serb); ⇒ се́рбинъ (sérbin)
      • Belarusian: серб (sjerb)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: Серб (Serb)
      • Ukrainian: серб (serb); ⇒ се́рбин (sérbyn)
    • Russian: серб (serb)
    • ⇒ Ukrainian: присе́рбитися (prysérbytysja), присьо́рбатися (prysʹórbatysja, “to join”)
• South Slavic:
  • ⇒ Bulgarian: съ́рбин (sǎ́rbin)
  • ⇒ Macedonian: Србин (Srbin)
  • Old Serbo-Croatian: срьбинь, срьблинь
    • Serbo-Croatian:

      Cyrillic script: ср̏б; ⇒ Србин, Ср̏бин, ср̏бљин

      Latin script: sȑb; ⇒ Srbin, Sȑbin, sȑbljin

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: Srb
  • Polish: Serb
  • Slovak: Srb
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: Serb (“Sorb, Kashub”)
    • Upper Sorbian: Serb (“Sorb, Kashub”)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Greek: Σέρβιοι (Sérvioi, “East Slavic tribe”), Σέρβοι (Sérvoi)
  • → Medieval Latin: Zribia (“Meissen”)
  • → Romanian: sârb

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “серб”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “пасерб”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress