Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/śḗr

This Proto-Balto-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.

This Proto-Balto-Slavic entry contains original research. The reconstruction in this entry is based on published research, but the specific form presented here is not found in prior works.

Proto-Balto-Slavic

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr (“heart”).^[1]^[2]

Reconstruction notes

In Lithuanian dialects, there are forms such as gen.sg. širdès, nom.pl. šìrdes, gen.pl. širdų̃, which point to an earlier root noun.

Tijmen Pronk (2022) may be suggesting that form *ḱēr(d) gave rise to the Prussian form seyr.^[3] However, Wojciech Smoczyński (as of December 04, 2023) believes that the Prussian form remains paleographically unclear.^[4] Therefore, this means that the Prussian form cannot be a reliable material for the reconstruction of the Proto-Balto-Slavic form *śḗr.

Noun

*śḗr n

heart
Synonym: *śirˀdís f

Inflection

Declension of *śḗr (athematic, mobile accent)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*śḗr	*śírˀde	*śírˀdes
Accusative	*śírˀdin	*śírˀde	*śírˀdins
Genitive	*śirˀdés	—	*śirˀdṓn
Locative	*śirˀdí	—	*śirˀdsú
Dative	*śírˀdei	—	*śirˀdmás
Instrumental	*śirˀdḗˀ	—	*śirˀdmī́ˀs
Vocative	*śḗr	*śírˀde	*śírˀdes

Descendants

East Baltic:
- ⇒ Latgalian: sir̂ds
- ⇒ Latvian: sir̂ds
- ⇒ Old Lithuanian: širdès
  - ⇒ Lithuanian: širdìs
- ⇒ Samogitian: šėrdės
West Baltic:
- ⇒? Old Prussian: seyr, sijran
⇒ Proto-Slavic: *sь̑rdьce

References

^ Derksen, Rick (2008) “*sь̏rdьce”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 485: “BSl. *śird-”
^ Derksen, Rick (2015) “širdis”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 448: “BSl. *śirʔd-”
^ Pronk, T. (2022) “Balto-Slavic”, in Olander, T., editor, The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 285: “OPr. seyr < *ḱēr(d)”
^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2007) “širdìs”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka litewskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Vilnius: Uniwersytet Wileński, page 1820

[1] Derksen, Rick (2008) “*sь̏rdьce”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 485: “BSl. *śird-”

[2] Derksen, Rick (2015) “širdis”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 448: “BSl. *śirʔd-”

[3] Pronk, T. (2022) “Balto-Slavic”, in Olander, T., editor, The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 285: “OPr. seyr < *ḱēr(d)”

[4] Smoczyński, Wojciech (2007) “širdìs”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka litewskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Vilnius: Uniwersytet Wileński, page 1820

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