Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ǫbьlъ

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

Alternative reconstructions

*ǫblъ (Vasmer)
*ǫbelъ (ESSJa)

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *ámb(i)las, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₃en- (“to rake”), *h₃embʰ- (“to pivot, to hub”) (whence Latin umbō (“shield hub”)). Two kinds of suffixes are attested:

*-ьlъ in Old Church Slavonic and Serbo-Croatian. Similar to semantically related Proto-Slavic *kъbьlъ, *bъkъlъ (“bucket, pail”).
*-elъ in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polabian. Similar to Proto-Slavic *stubelъ (“feeding trough”).

Traditionally compared (per Miklošič) with Armenian ամպ (amp, “cloud”), Ancient Greek ὄμβρος (ómbros, “rain, rainwater”), Sanskrit अम्बु (ambu, “water”), Latin imber (“rain, storm”), at least some of which from Proto-Indo-European *n̥bʰrós (“nebular”).

Old East Slavic meaning probably influenced (via intermediate Old East Slavic амболъ (ambolŭ, “portico”)) by unrelated Ancient Greek ἔμβολος (émbolos, “portico”).

Noun

*ǫbьlъ

well, spring

Declension

Declension of *ǫbьlъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ǫbьlъ	*ǫbьla	*ǫbьli
genitive	*ǫbьla	*ǫbьlu	*ǫbьlъ
dative	*ǫbьlu	*ǫbьloma	*ǫbьlomъ
accusative	*ǫbьlъ	*ǫbьla	*ǫbьly
instrumental	ǫbьlъmь, ǫbьlomь^*	*ǫbьloma	*ǫbьly
locative	*ǫbьlě	*ǫbьlu	*ǫbьlěxъ
vocative	*ǫbьle	*ǫbьla	*ǫbьli

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: ꙋболъ (ubolŭ, “street, pass”) (possibly)
  - Russian: убол (ubol)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: ѫбьлъ (ǫbĭlŭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⱘⰱⱐⰾⱏ (ǫbĭlŭ)
- Bulgarian: въ́бел (vǎ́bel), въ́мбел (vǎ́mbel), во́бел (vóbel) (dialectal)
- Macedonian: јабел (jabel) (dialectal)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: у̏бао
  
  Latin script: ȕbao
West Slavic:
- Polabian: wûmbâl

Zhuravlyov, A. F., Varbot, Zh. Zh., editors (2016), “*ǫbelъ (?)”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 40 (*ǫborъkъ – *pakъla), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 9
Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “убол”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “въбел”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 200