половодье

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Russian половодьє (polovodʹje), attested since 1674, from половодь (polovodʹ) (since 16th c., akin to dialectal Russian половодь (polovodʹ)), from Old East Slavic полъ (polŭ, “open from above, uncovered”), attested in a 14th-c. birchbark letter (No. 59) in "полои води" 'floodwaters.GEN.SG'.

By surface analysis, по́лая вода́ (pólaja vodá) +‎ -ье (-ʹje).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pəɫɐˈvodʲje]

Noun

полово́дье • (polovódʹje) n inan (genitive полово́дья, nominative plural полово́дья, genitive plural полово́дий)

1. seasonal flooding (from snowmelt, monsoons, etc.)
2. (figurative, poetic) flood (e.g. of feelings)

Declension

Declension of полово́дье (inan neut-form vowel-stem accent-a irreg) 

	singular	plural
nominative	полово́дье polovódʹje	полово́дья polovódʹja
genitive	полово́дья polovódʹja	полово́дий polovódij
dative	полово́дью polovódʹju	полово́дьям polovódʹjam
accusative	полово́дье polovódʹje	полово́дья polovódʹja
instrumental	полово́дьем polovódʹjem	полово́дьями polovódʹjami
prepositional	полово́дье, полово́дьи△* polovódʹje, polovódʹi△*	полово́дьях polovódʹjax

^△ Irregular.
^* Poetic.

Related terms

• по́лый (pólyj)
• вода́ (vodá)