Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/šęga

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

From an earlier *xęga, attested mainly in South Slavic and from there spread into East Slavic. Probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keng- (“to tilt, to skew”) or perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ksen- (compare Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to scrape, to mow”), *ksew- (“to hinder”)).

Noun

*šę̋ga f

1. joke, prank, silliness
2. cunning

Declension

Declension of *šęga (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*šęga	*šędzě	*šęgy
genitive	*šęgy	*šęgu	*šęgъ
dative	*šędzě	*šęgama	*šęgamъ
accusative	*šęgǫ	*šędzě	*šęgy
instrumental	*šęgojǫ, *šęgǫ**	*šęgama	*šęgami
locative	*šędzě	*šęgu	*šęgasъ, *šęgaxъ*
vocative	*šęgo	*šędzě	*šęgy

^* -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).

Derived terms

• *šęgati, *šęgovati (“to joke, to prank”)
• *šęgavъ (“giddy”)

Related terms

• *šujь (“left-handed”)
• *šutъ (“fool, clown”)
  • ⇒ Old East Slavic: шутъка (šutŭka, “joke”)
• *xudъ (“small, weak, handicap”)
• *ščęka, *ščeka (“cheekbone”) (possibly of Germanic origin)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: шѧга (šęga)
    • → Russian: шега (šega)
  • Bulgarian: шега́ (šegá)
  • Macedonian: шега (šega)
  • Slovene: šẹ́ga (“disposition, cunning”)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “шега”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress