Uncertain; the plant itself is rarely used, so the name of the plant is also rarely mentioned, resulting in various variants of the original name.
In its present state the Russian form is a blend of different names for various plant names, including any combination of бе́рест (bérest, “elm”), берёза (berjóza, “birch”), ве́реск (véresk, “heather”), брусни́ка (brusníka, “ligonberry”), клён (kljon, “maple”), хме́ль (xmélʹ, “hop”) and дёрен (djóren, “dogwood”). Akin to Ukrainian берескле́т (beresklét).
The Russian term may be borrowed from Ukrainian. This is supported by the plant's distribution and the fact that the stressed -е- hasn't become -ё-. However, the latter could be a result of the term's uncommonness. Furthermore, the alternatively stressed variant бере́склет (berésklet), found in the 19th century may have gone against this regular change.
The related Slavic terms used for spindle-tree are Belarusian брызглі́на (bryzhlína), Ukrainian брусли́на (bruslýna), Polish trzmielina, Czech brslen and Slovak bršlen. Serbo-Croatian bršlenka is only known from a mention by Bogoslav Šulek.
Furthermore, similar terms denoting the ivy can be found in various Slavic languages:
Standard Bulgarian бръшля́н (brǎšlján) (also бръшел (brǎšel), брешлян (brešljan), брешнял (brešnjal), брошлен (brošlen), брушлен (brušlen), бръчнел (brǎčnel), крушнел (krušnel)), Standard Macedonian бршлен (bršlen) (also бршлан (bršlan)), Slovene bršljȃn and Serbo-Croatian br̀šljan, Czech břečťan and Slovak brečtan (see there for other forms), Old Polish brzeszczan (also brzecztan, brzesztan, brzestan, brzostan), Ukrainian бречитан (brečytan) (also беречан (berečan), борощаник (boroščanyk), прочитан (pročytan)). The term has been borrowed early into Hungarian borostyán (“ivy”) and boroszlán (“daphne”) (also boraszlán, boroslán, boroslány, buruslán, boroszlyány, borosnyán, borosnyány, burusnyán), Romanian boroșlean and Macedo-Greek μπρούσλιανη (broúsliani), μπρούσλου (broúslou).
Skok proposes this complex is an Illyrian borrowing, since a derivation from Proto-Slavic *brъstь (“grazed crop”) is doubtful; Sköld dismisses a Slavic origin, due to Proto-Slavic *bľuščь (“ivy”), which is unrelated but akin in meaning. The Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages unifies the terms for ivy and spindle-tree under one form.
берескле́т • (beresklét) m inan (genitive берескле́та, nominative plural берескле́ты, genitive plural берескле́тов)
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | берескле́т beresklét |
берескле́ты bereskléty |
genitive | берескле́та bereskléta |
берескле́тов beresklétov |
dative | берескле́ту beresklétu |
берескле́там beresklétam |
accusative | берескле́т beresklét |
берескле́ты bereskléty |
instrumental | берескле́том beresklétom |
берескле́тами beresklétami |
prepositional | берескле́те bereskléte |
берескле́тах beresklétax |
Unknown, see Russian берескле́т (beresklét).
берескле́т • (beresklét) m inan (genitive берескле́та, nominative plural берескле́ти, genitive plural берескле́тів)
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | берескле́т beresklét |
берескле́ти bereskléty |
genitive | берескле́та bereskléta |
берескле́тів beresklétiv |
dative | берескле́тові, берескле́ту beresklétovi, beresklétu |
берескле́там beresklétam |
accusative | берескле́т beresklét |
берескле́ти bereskléty |
instrumental | берескле́том beresklétom |
берескле́тами beresklétamy |
locative | берескле́ті bereskléti |
берескле́тах beresklétax |
vocative | берескле́те bereskléte |
берескле́ти bereskléty |