Apparently originally participle of verb **zelti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źelˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). Morphologically *zel- + *-enъ.
Baltic cognates include Lithuanian žélti (“to sprout”), žãlias (“green”), žel̃vas (“greenish”), Latvian zelt (“to become green”), zaļš (“green”), Old Prussian saligan (“green”).
Indo-European cognates include Sanskrit हरि (hari, “fallow, yellowish, greenish”), Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬥𐬫𐬀 (zaranya), Latin helvus (“honey-yellow”), Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “pale green, greenish yellow”), Proto-Germanic *gelwaz (“yellow”).
Accent paradigm b.
singular | masculine | feminine | neuter |
---|---|---|---|
nominative | *zelenъ | *zelena | *zeleno |
genitive | *zelena | *zeleny | *zelena |
dative | *zelenu | *zeleně | *zelenu |
accusative | *zelenъ | *zelenǫ | *zeleno |
instrumental | *zelenomь | *zelenojǫ | *zelenomь |
locative | *zeleně | *zeleně | *zeleně |
vocative | *zelene | *zeleno | *zeleno |
dual | masculine | feminine | neuter |
nominative | *zelena | *zeleně | *zeleně |
genitive | *zelenu | *zelenu | *zelenu |
dative | *zelenoma | *zelenama | *zelenoma |
accusative | *zelena | *zeleně | *zeleně |
instrumental | *zelenoma | *zelenama | *zelenoma |
locative | *zelenu | *zelenu | *zelenu |
vocative | *zelena | *zeleně | *zeleně |
plural | masculine | feminine | neuter |
nominative | *zeleni | *zeleny | *zelena |
genitive | *zelenъ | *zelenъ | *zelenъ |
dative | *zelenomъ | *zelenamъ | *zelenomъ |
accusative | *zeleny | *zeleny | *zelena |
instrumental | *zeleny | *zelenami | *zeleny |
locative | *zeleněxъ | *zelenaxъ | *zeleněxъ |
vocative | *zeleni | *zeleny | *zelena |
*bělъ (of animals) *bronъ |
*sivъ, *śěrъ, *śědъ | *čьrnъ, *smaglъ, *smǫglъ (of animals) *vornъ, *galъ |
*čьrvenъ, *ryďь, *ruměnъ | *rudъ, *granivъ; *smědъ (of animals) *gnědъ |
*žьltъ (of animals) *solvъ; *polvъ |
*zelenъ | *zelenъ, *grěnъ | |
*polvъ | *siňь; *modrъ | |
*slivъ | *bagrъ |