Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ota

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 Proto-Balto-Slavic *-atā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *-otéh₂, encountered in Sanskrit दीर्घ (dīrgha, “long”) : दीर्घता (dīrghatā, “length, longness”).

Suffix

*-otà f

1. Deadjectival, forming abstract nouns denoting the specified attribute; -ness

   Synonyms: *-ina, *-ostь

   *dьlgъ (“long”) → *dьlgota (“length”)

   *golъ (“bare, naked”) → *golotа (“nakedness”)

   *slěpъ (“blind”) → *slěpota (“blindness”)

   *bělъ (“white”) → *bělota (“whiteness”)

   *ostrъ (“sharp”) → *ostrota (“sharpness”)

2. Deadjectival, forming gauge nouns measuring the specified attribute; -ity, -th

   *gǫstъ (“dense”) → *gǫstota (“density”)

   *čęstъ (“frequent”) → *čęstota (“frequency”)

   *širokъ (“wide”) → *širota (“width”)

   *teplъ (“warm, hot”) → *teplota (“heat, temperature”)

3. Deadjectival, forming agent nouns carrying the specified attribute

   *sirъ (“sorrow”) → *sirota (“orphan”)

   *junъ (“young”) → *junota (“youth”)

   *pěxъ (“pedestrian”) → *pěxota (“infantry”)

4. Denominal, forming activities or abstractions

   *orbъ (“servant, slave”) → *orbota (“work”)

   *tъska (“melancholy, sorrow, grief”) → *tъščь (“hollow”) → *tъščeta (“damage”)

   *krasa (“beauty”) → *krasota (“beauty”)

   *sormъ (“shame”) → *sormota (“embarrassment, disgrace”)

Declension

Declension of *-ota (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ota	*-otě	*-oty
genitive	*-oty	*-otu	*-otъ
dative	*-otě	*-otama	*-otamъ
accusative	*-otǫ	*-otě	*-oty
instrumental	*-otojǫ, *-otǫ**	*-otama	*-otami
locative	*-otě	*-otu	*-otasъ, *-otaxъ*
vocative	*-oto	*-otě	*-oty

^* -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).

Related terms

• *-otъ m
• *-otь (i-stem)
• *-ъtъ

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ota

Descendants

• Church Slavonic: -ота (-ota)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -ота (-ota)
    • Old Ruthenian: -ота́ (-otá)
      • Belarusian: -ата (-ata), -о́та (-óta)
      • Ukrainian: -о́та (-óta), -ота́ (-otá)
    • Russian: -ота́ (-otá)
  • Old Novgorodian: -ота (-ota)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: -ота (-ota)

    Glagolitic script: ⱁⱅⰰ (ota)

    • Church Slavonic: -ота (-ota) (Russian recension)
  • Bulgarian: -ота́ (-otá)
  • Macedonian: -ота (-ota)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: -о̀та

    Latin script: -òta

  • Slovene: -óta, -ọ̑ta (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: -ota
    • Czech: -ota
  • Old Polish: -ota
    • Polish: -ota
  • Polabian: -ötă
  • Slovak: -ota
  • Slovincian: -ôta
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: -ota
    • Lower Sorbian: -ota

References

• St. Stoyanov (1983): "-отà" in Граматика на съвременния Български книжовен език, vol. II Морфология (in Bulgarian), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 63
• Trubachyov, O., Zhuravlyov, A. F., editors (2005), “*orbota”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 32 (*obžьnъ – *orzbotati), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 121