Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/zajęcь

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 an earlier *zajękъ (still reflected in Bulgarian and Macedonian), via progressive palatalization. Possibly inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źṓˀjinkas,^[1] cognate^[2] with dial. Lithuanian zuĩkis < *zuojįkas (however, not Latvian zaķis, which looks like a Slavic borrowing). Further origin uncertain:

• Mladenov, Vasmer, Snoj: Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰey-, *ǵʰeh₂y- (“to dash, to hurtle, to hop”), akin to Lithuanian žaĩsti (“to play around”) and Old Armenian ձի (ji, “horse”), Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰáyas (< Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéyos). From the same root may also be Proto-Germanic *gaits (“goat”), Latin haedus (“buck”).
• Löwenthal: From Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂- (“to nourish, earth”) whence Ancient Greek γῆ (gê, “Earth”) (possibly Ancient Greek γᾰ́λᾰ (gála)). Dismissed by Vasmer.
• From a substrate language, if the Baltic cognates and their irregularities are to be taken seriously. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Shares ending with Proto-Slavic *měsęcь (“month”), *koręcь (“root”), probably resultant from a k-extension over an older n-stem^[3]. Further attested in animal names: e.g. Bulgarian пуяк ~ пуек (pujak ~ puek, “male fowl”), суяк ~ суек (sujak ~ suek, “ground squirrel”), dial. козяк ~ козек (kozjak ~ kozek, “buck”); and in diminutives: e.g. Bulgarian ма́лечко (málečko), па́лечко (pálečko) < мале (male), пале (pale) + *-ęč-ьko.

*zàję̄cь m^[4][5]

1. rabbit, hare

It is likely that such a form did not exist, where a morphological replacement of the suffix simply took place.

• *zàjьcь

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: заѧць (zajęcĭ), заець (zajecĭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: за́ѧцъ (zájacʹ), за́єцъ (zájecʹ), за́ѧць (zájacʹ), за́єць (zájecʹ)
      • Belarusian: за́яц (zájac)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: за́яць (zájacʹ)
      • Ukrainian: за́єць (zájecʹ); за́яць (zájacʹ), за́яєць (zájajecʹ) (dialectal)
    • Middle Russian: за́ѧцъ (zájac), за́ецъ (zájec)
      • Russian: за́яц (zájac); за́ец (zájec) (dialect); зай (zaj) (Pskov dialect)
  • Old Novgorodian: ꙁаѩць (zajęćĭ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: заѩць (zajęcĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰸⰰⱗⱌⱐ (zajęcĭ)

  • Bulgarian: за́ец (záec) (obsolete), за́ек (záek); dial. зо́ек (zóek), зо́як (zójak) (Torlak dialects), за́енц (záenc) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: зајак (zajak)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: зе̑ц, за̀јац

    Latin script: zȇc, zàjac

  • Slovene: zȃjəc, zẹ̑c (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: zajiec
    • Czech: zajíc
      • Bohemian (Chod dialect): zajíc
  • Kashubian: zajc
  • Polabian: zojąc
  • Old Polish: zając
    • Polish: zając
  • Old Slovak: zajac
    • Pannonian Rusyn: заяц (zajac)
    • Slovak: zajac
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: zajac
    • Lower Sorbian: zajec (dialectal)

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “заяц”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Brückner, Aleksander (1927) “zając”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna, page 643
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “заек”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 587