Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/žьrьcь

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 *žьrti (“to sacrifice”) +‎ *-ьcь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *girʔ-, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH-.

Noun

*žьrьcь m

priest

Declension

Declension of *žьrьcь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*žьrьcь	*žьrьca	*žьrьci
genitive	*žьrьca	*žьrьcu	*žьrьcь
dative	*žьrьcu	*žьrьcema	*žьrьcemъ
accusative	*žьrьcь	*žьrьca	*žьrьcę̇
instrumental	žьrьcьmь, žьrьcemь^*	*žьrьcema	*žьrьci
locative	*žьrьci	*žьrьcu	*žьrьcixъ
vocative	*žьrьče	*žьrьca	*žьrьci

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Related terms

*gornъ
*žьrica
*žьrtva (“sacrifice”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Russian: жре́ц (žréc)
  - → Czech: žrec
  - → Serbo-Croatian:žrec
    Cyrillic script: жре̑ц
    
    Latin script: žrȇc
- Ukrainian: жре́ць (žrécʹ)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: жрьць (žrĭcĭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: [Term?]
- Bulgarian: жрец (žrec)
West Slavic:
- Old Polish: żyrzec
  - Polish: żerca (“Slavic pagan priest”)

References

Derksen, Rick (2008) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 567
Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “жрец”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress