Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ъkъ

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 1

Nominal suffix, formed by rebracketing of *-kъ, typically appended to ancient u-stems. Can also be attached to o-stems to form derivatives of the specified object/property. Compare Proto-Iranian *-akah and Sanskrit -अक (-aka) formed in the same way.

Suffix

*-ъkъ m

1. Forms diminutives from old u-stem nouns

   *listъ (“leaf”) → *listъkъ (“leaflet, a small leaf”)

   *synъ (“son”) → *synъkъ (“boy, little son”)

   *bebrъ (“beaver”) → *bebrъkъ (“small beaver”)

   *medъ (“honey”) → *medъkъ (“honey product”)

2. Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of the specified property (rare)

   *pętъ (“fifth”) → *pętъkъ (“Friday”)

   *četvьrtъ (“fourth”) → *četvьrtъkъ (“Thursday”)

   *bělъ (“white”) → *bělъkъ (“albumen”)

   *žьltъ (“yellow”) → *žьltъkъ (“yolk”)

   *okrǫžьnъ (“circumferential”) → *krǫžьkъ (“circle, shape with circular form”)

3. Structural formant, without a base noun to synchronically derive from

   *pěsъkъ (“sand”)

4. Deverbal from the past participle in *-tъ, forms resultant nouns of the specified action

   *dobyti (“to extract”) → *dobytъ → *dobytъkъ (“stock”)

   *dati (“to give”) → *datъ → *datъkъ (“yield”)

   *zaperti (“to expire”) → *zapьrtъ → *zapъrtъkъ (“addle egg”)

   *začęti (“to conceive”) → *začętъ → *začętъkъ (“embryo, germ”)

5. Deverbal, forms abstract nouns of the specified action

   *pominǫti (“to pass”) → *pominъkъ (“livelihood, means to survive”)

   *do (“to, nearby”) + *jьměti (“to have”) → *nedojьmъkъ (“poverty, lack of income”)

6. Deverbal, forms an instance of the specified action

   *kyvati (“to knock, to hew”) → *kyvъkъ (“nod”)

   *telťì (“to shove, to pound”) → *tьlčьkъ (“push, impulse”)

   *mazati (“to anoint, to spread oil/paint”) → *mazъkъ (“dab, smear”)

   *glъtati (“to swallow”) → *glъtъkъ (“gulp”)

7. Deverbal, forms tool or agent nouns for the specified action: -er

   Synonyms: *-ьcь, *-slo

   *strěľati (“to knock, to hew”) → *strělъkъ (“shooter”)

   *skrebti (“to scrape”) → *skrebъkъ (“scraper”)

   *gǫděti (“to buzz, to honk”) → *gǫdъkъ (“horn, buzzer”)

   *pьlzti (“to craw”) → dial. *pьlžьkъ (“slug”)

8. From propositions, forms an instance of the specified action

   *perdъ (“in front”) → *perdъkъ (“ancestor”)

   *po +‎ *tomь (“later on, over there”) → *potomъkъ (“descendant”)

Declension

Declension of *-ъkъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ъkъ	*-ъka	*-ъci
genitive	*-ъka	*-ъku	*-ъkъ
dative	*-ъku	*-ъkoma	*-ъkomъ
accusative	*-ъkъ	*-ъka	*-ъky
instrumental	*-ъkъmь, *-ъkomь*	*-ъkoma	*-ъky
locative	*-ъcě	*-ъku	*-ъcěxъ
vocative	*-ъče	*-ъka	*-ъci

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

Etymology 2

Adjectival suffix with analogical origin as the nominal suffix. Related to Proto-Germanic *-ugaz (when appended to u-stems) and Proto-Germanic *-agaz (to o-stems).

In rare case, both the original u-stem form (reanalyzed as an o-stem) and the extended *-ъkъ are attested: e.g. Old Church Slavonic крѣпъ (krěpŭ) : крѣпъкъ (krěpŭkŭ).

Suffix

*-ъkъ

1. From nouns or adverbs, forms adjectives with pertaining meaning: -y

   *kortъ (“piece, bit”) → *kortъkъ (“short”)

   *nizъ (“down, below”) → *nizъkъ (“nether, low”)

   *slizъ (“slime”) → *slizъkъ (“slippery”)

   *goře(stь) (“sorrow, woe, tribulation”) → *gorьkъ (“bitter”)

   *tęžе(stь) (“weight”) → *tęžьkъ (“heavy”)

2. Deverbial from the past participle, forms adjectives which approximate the meaning of the participle: -ly (rare)

   *plyti (“to float”) → *plytъ (“sunk”) → *plytъkъ (“shallow”)

   *pry(g)ti (“to spring, to jump”) → *prytъ (“sprung”) → *prytъkъ (“agile, nimble”)

   *viti (“to curve, to wind”) → *vitъ (“curved”) → *vitъkъ (“curvу, twisty”)

   *biti (“to beat, to fight”) → *bitъ (“beaten”) → *bitъkъ (“feisty, military”)

3. (Extension) From former u-stem adjective (some of them surviving as re-analyzed o-stems), forms their doublets

   *gladъ → *gladъkъ (“smooth, plain”)

   *dьrzъ → *dьrzъkъ (“daring, bald”)

   *krěpъ → *krěpъkъ (“solid, firm”)

   *krěxъ → *krěxъkъ (“soft, mild”)

   **lьgъ → *lьgъkъ (“light”)

   **mělъ → *mělъkъ (“small, finely ground”)

   **tьnъ → *tьnъkъ (“thin”)

Alternative forms

• *-ьkъ (when attached to yu-stems or spread from the ancient comparative in *-jьš-)

Declension

Indefinite declension of *-ъkъ (hard)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ъkъ	*-ъka	*-ъko
genitive	*-ъka	*-ъky	*-ъka
dative	*-ъku	*-ъcě	*-ъku
accusative	*-ъkъ	*-ъkǫ	*-ъko
instrumental	*-ъkomь	*-ъkojǫ	*-ъkomь
locative	*-ъcě	*-ъcě	*-ъcě
vocative	*-ъče	*-ъko	*-ъko
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ъka	*-ъcě	*-ъcě
genitive	*-ъku	*-ъku	*-ъku
dative	*-ъkoma	*-ъkama	*-ъkoma
accusative	*-ъka	*-ъcě	*-ъcě
instrumental	*-ъkoma	*-ъkama	*-ъkoma
locative	*-ъku	*-ъku	*-ъku
vocative	*-ъka	*-ъcě	*-ъcě
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ъci	*-ъky	*-ъka
genitive	*-ъkъ	*-ъkъ	*-ъkъ
dative	*-ъkomъ	*-ъkamъ	*-ъkomъ
accusative	*-ъky	*-ъky	*-ъka
instrumental	*-ъky	*-ъkami	*-ъky
locative	*-ъcěxъ	*-ъkaxъ	*-ъcěxъ
vocative	*-ъci	*-ъky	*-ъka

Definite declension of *-ъkъ (hard)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ъkъjь	*-ъkaja	*-ъkoje
genitive	*-ъkajego	*-ъkyję̇	*-ъkajego
dative	*-ъkujemu	*-ъcěji	*-ъkujemu
accusative	*-ъkъjь	*-ъkǫjǫ	*-ъkoje
instrumental	*-ъkyjimь	*-ъkǫjǫ	*-ъkyjimь
locative	*-ъcějemь	*-ъcěji	*-ъcějemь
vocative	*-ъkъjь	*-ъkaja	*-ъkoje
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ъkaja	*-ъcěji	*-ъcěji
genitive	*-ъkuju	*-ъkuju	*-ъkuju
dative	*-ъkyjima	*-ъkyjima	*-ъkyjima
accusative	*-ъkaja	*-ъcěji	*-ъcěji
instrumental	*-ъkyjima	*-ъkyjima	*-ъkyjima
locative	*-ъkuju	*-ъkuju	*-ъkuju
vocative	*-ъkaja	*-ъcěji	*-ъcěji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ъciji	*-ъkyję̇	*-ъkaja
genitive	*-ъkъjixъ	*-ъkъjixъ	*-ъkъjixъ
dative	*-ъkyjimъ	*-ъkyjimъ	*-ъkyjimъ
accusative	*-ъkyję̇	*-ъkyję̇	*-ъkaja
instrumental	*-ъkyjimi	*-ъkyjimi	*-ъkyjimi
locative	*-ъkyjixъ	*-ъkyjixъ	*-ъkyjixъ
vocative	*-ъciji	*-ъkyję̇	*-ъkaja

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ъkъ

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ьkъ

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -ъкъ (-ŭkŭ)
    • Belarusian: -ок (-ok), -ак (-ak)
    • Russian: -ок (-ok)
    • Ukrainian: -ок (-ok)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: -ъкъ (-ŭkŭ)

    Glagolitic script: -ⱏⰽⱏ (-ŭkŭ)

  • Bulgarian: -ък (-ǎk)
  • Macedonian: -ок (-ok)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: -ак

    Latin script: -ak

  • Slovene: -ek
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -ek
  • Old Polish: -ek
  • Slovak: -ok
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: -k
    • Slovincian: -k

• • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: -k
    • Lower Sorbian: -k

References

• Šekli, Matej (2012) “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎^[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
• Halla-aho, Jussi (2006) Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology: On the Basis of Old Church Slavic (Slavica Helsingiensia; 26), Helsinki: University of Helsinki, page 100