Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/koňь

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

Etymology 1

There are two theories about its origin:

• (Vasmer, Skok, Długosz-Kurczabowa, Holub/Kopečný): from *komňь (cf. Old East Slavic комонь (komonĭ, “horse”)), from early *kobňь, akin to *kobyla (“mare”). Compare Latin caballus (“working horse”), Proto-Celtic *kapallos (> Old Irish capall).
• (Brückner, Długosz-Kurczabowa): from *komňь (cf. Old East Slavic комонь (komonĭ, “horse”)), related to Polish komosić (“make wild, enrage”) cognate with Lithuanian kumelė (“mare”), Old Prussian kamnet (“horse”). (Note, however, that komosić does not seem to exist in East or South Slavic and therefore probably is not very old and that Skok explains the similar verbs komešati (“stir, mix”) and kovitlati (“gyrate, form an eddy”) with a prefix *ko-.)

Noun

*kòňь m

1. horse

   Synonym: *komoňь

Declension

Declension of *kòňь (soft o-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kòňь	*koňà	*koňì
genitive	*koňà	*koňù	*kòňь
dative	*koňù	*koňèma	*kòňemъ
accusative	*kòňь	*koňà	*koňę̇̀
instrumental	*koňь̀mь, *koňèmь*	*koňèma	*kòňi
locative	*koňì	*koňù	*kòňixъ
vocative	*koňu	*koňà	*koňì

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Related terms

• *komoňь (possibly)

Derived terms

• *konьnъ (“equine”)
• *konьskъ (“horsy”)
• *konьnikъ (“knight”)
• *konьnica (“cavalry”)
• *koňušьna (“stable”)
• *koňarь (“stableman, syce”)
• *koňevodъ (“horse herder”)
• *koňekradъ (“horse thief”)
• *konotopъ (“swamp”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: конь (konĭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: конь (konʹ), кѡнь (kônʹ), кунь (kunʹ)
      • Belarusian: конь (konʹ)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: кӱнь (künʹ)
      • Ukrainian: кінь (kinʹ); кунь (kunʹ) (dialectal)
    • Russian: конь (konʹ)
  • Old Novgorodian: конь (konĭ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: кон҄ь (konʹĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⱀⱐ (konĭ)

  • Bulgarian: кон (kon)
  • Macedonian: коњ (konj)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ко̏њ

    Latin script: kȍnj

    • Slavomolisano: konj
  • Slovene: kȍnj (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: kóň
    • Czech: kůň
  • Old Polish: koń
    • Polish: koń
    • Silesian: kōń
  • Old Slovak: kóň, kôň, kúň
    • Pannonian Rusyn: конь (konʹ)
    • Slovak: kôň
  • Polabian: ťün
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: kóń
    • Slovincian: kóń
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: kóń
    • Upper Sorbian: kóń

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “конь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1983), “*konь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 10 (*klepačь – *konь), Moscow: Nauka, page 197
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “кон¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 578

Etymology 2

From *koňь (“horse”) +‎ *-ьjь.

Adjective

*koňь

1. (relational) horse

Declension

Indefinite declension of *koňь (soft)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*koňь	*koňa	*koňe
genitive	*koňa	*koňę̇	*koňa
dative	*koňu	*koňi	*koňu
accusative	*koňь	*koňǫ	*koňe
instrumental	*koňemь	*koňejǫ	*koňemь
locative	*koňi	*koňi	*koňi
vocative	*koňu	*koňe	*koňe
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*koňa	*koňi	*koňi
genitive	*koňu	*koňu	*koňu
dative	*koňema	*koňama	*koňema
accusative	*koňa	*koňi	*koňi
instrumental	*koňema	*koňama	*koňema
locative	*koňu	*koňu	*koňu
vocative	*koňa	*koňi	*koňi
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*koňi	*koňę̇	*koňa
genitive	*koňь	*koňь	*koňь
dative	*koňemъ	*koňamъ	*koňemъ
accusative	*koňę̇	*koňę̇	*koňa
instrumental	*koňi	*koňami	*koňi
locative	*koňixъ	*koňaxъ	*koňixъ
vocative	*koňi	*koňę̇	*koňa

Definite declension of *koňь (soft)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*koňьjь	*koňaja	*koňeje
genitive	*koňajego	*koňę̇ję̇	*koňajego
dative	*koňujemu	*koňiji	*koňujemu
accusative	*koňьjь	*koňǫjǫ	*koňeje
instrumental	*koňijimь	*koňǫjǫ	*koňijimь
locative	*koňijemь	*koňiji	*koňijemь
vocative	*koňьjь	*koňaja	*koňeje
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*koňaja	*koňiji	*koňiji
genitive	*koňuju	*koňuju	*koňuju
dative	*koňijima	*koňijima	*koňijima
accusative	*koňaja	*koňiji	*koňiji
instrumental	*koňijima	*koňijima	*koňijima
locative	*koňuju	*koňuju	*koňuju
vocative	*koňaja	*koňiji	*koňiji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*koňiji	*koňę̇ję̇	*koňaja
genitive	*koňьjixъ	*koňьjixъ	*koňьjixъ
dative	*koňijimъ	*koňijimъ	*koňijimъ
accusative	*koňę̇ję̇	*koňę̇ję̇	*koňaja
instrumental	*koňijimi	*koňijimi	*koňijimi
locative	*koňijixъ	*koňijixъ	*koňijixъ
vocative	*koňiji	*koňę̇ję̇	*koňaja

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: конь (konĭ)
    • Russian: ко́ний (kónij) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ко̏њӣ (rare)

    Latin script: kȍnjī (rare)

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: koní (archaic)
  • Polish: (dialectal) koni, kóni
  • Slovincian: kônjy