Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/zmьja

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

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

From Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm (see more in *zmьjь, *zemľa).

Noun

*zmьjà f

1. snake

Declension

Declension of *zmьjà (soft a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*zmьjà	*zmьji	*zmьję̇
genitive	*zmьję̇	*zmьju	*zmьjь
dative	*zmьji	*zmьjama	*zmьjamъ
accusative	*zmьjǫ	*zmьji	*zmьję̇
instrumental	*zmьjejǫ, *zmьjǫ**	*zmьjama	*zmьjami
locative	*zmьji	*zmьju	*zmьjasъ, *zmьjaxъ*
vocative	*zmьje	*zmьji	*zmьję̇

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Related terms

• *zmьjь

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: змяя́ (zmjajá)
  • Russian: змея́ (zmejá)
  • Ukrainian: змія́ (zmijá)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: змиꙗ (zmija)
  • Bulgarian: змия́ (zmijá)
  • Macedonian: змија (zmija)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: змѝја

    Latin script: zmìja

  • Slovene: zmija
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: zmije
  • Kashubian: żnija, znija
  • Old Polish: źmija
    • Polish: żmija
    • Silesian: żmija
  • Slovak: zmija
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: zmija

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “змея́”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*zmьjà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 545