Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/žica

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

Mostly likely from Proto-Indo-European *gʷiH- + *-ka (unless contracted from an earlier *žitьca). Akin to Lithuanian gijà (“thread (in warp)”), Latvian dzija (“thread”) within Balto-Slavic and further related to Sanskrit जिया (jiyā), ज्या (jyā, “bowstring”), Avestan 𐬘𐬌𐬌𐬁 (jiiā), Old Persian [script needed] (ǰiyā), Welsh gïau (“nerves, sinew”), Ancient Greek βιός (biós, “bowstring”).

Noun

*žìca f

1. thread, wire

Inflection

Declension of *žìca (soft a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*žìca	*žìci	*žìcę̇
genitive	*žìcę̇	*žìcu	*žìcь
dative	*žìcī	*žìcama	*žìcāmъ
accusative	*žìcǫ	*žìci	*žìcę̇
instrumental	*žìcējǫ, *žìcǭ*	*žìcama	*žìcāmī
locative	*žìcī	*žìcu	*žìcāsъ
vocative	*žìce	*žìci	*žìcę̇

^* 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

• *žičьka, *žičica (diminutive)
• *žičьnъ (“wiry”)
  • *žičьnikъ (“knurl, knot within thread”)

Related terms

• *žikati (“to lash, to prod”)
• *žila (“vein, sinew, tendon”) (possibly)
• *žima, *žiňa (“strand, yarn (of hair)”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: жи́ца (žíca)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: жи́ца (žíca)
  • Macedonian: жица (žica)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: жи̏ца

    Latin script: žȉca

  • Slovene: žíca (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • ⇒ Czech: žičica

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “жихать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “жица”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 549
• “gija”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012