мавка

Ukrainian

Mavka by Asta Legios for tokar.ua, 2022

Alternative forms

• на́вка (návka)
• ня́вка (njávka)

Etymology

Originally навка, derived from Proto-Slavic *navь (“deceased”). Later forms мавка and нявка likely come from association with the words мали́й (malýj, “small”) and нявкати (njavkaty, “to meow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmau̯kɐ]

Noun

ма́вка • (mávka) f pers (genitive ма́вки, nominative plural ма́вки, genitive plural ма́вок)

1. (Ukrainian mythology) a forest nymph
2. (rare) water nymph, mermaid, rusalka

   Synonym: руса́лка (rusálka)

Declension

Declension of ма́вка (pers hard fem-form accent-a reduc)

	singular	plural
nominative	ма́вка mávka	ма́вки mávky
genitive	ма́вки mávky	ма́вок mávok
dative	ма́вці mávci	ма́вкам mávkam
accusative	ма́вку mávku	ма́вок mávok
instrumental	ма́вкою mávkoju	ма́вками mávkamy
locative	ма́вці mávci	ма́вках mávkax
vocative	ма́вко mávko	ма́вки mávky

Descendants

• → English: mavka

Further reading

• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1989), “ма́вка”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volume 3 (Кора – М), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN, page 349
• Hrinchenko, Borys, editor (1907–1909), “ма́вка”, in Словарь украинского языка [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Russian), Kyiv: Kievskaya starina
• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “ма́вка”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Shyrokov, V. A., editor (2010–2023), “ма́вка”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1–14 (а – префере́нція), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka; Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund, →ISBN