Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bьrlogъ

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

Uncertain. Possibly from *bьrlati (“to disturb, to burden”) +‎ *-ogъ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, to carry”). If correct, the original meaning of the term would have been an unnatural structure, perturbation (made by an animal). A similar semantic development is found in *bьrgъ (“landmark, heap”) → (“hut”) (also from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-).

A popular folk-etymology of the term derives it from German Bär (“bear”) + Slavic *logъ (“standpoint”); however, most scholars discard this hypothesis.

Noun

*bьrlogъ m

den, lair
Synonym: *skorlupa
cave (secondary)

Inflection

Declension of *bьrlogъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bьrlogъ	*bьrloga	*bьrlodzi
genitive	*bьrloga	*bьrlogu	*bьrlogъ
dative	*bьrlogu	*bьrlogoma	*bьrlogomъ
accusative	*bьrlogъ	*bьrloga	*bьrlogy
instrumental	bьrlogъmь, bьrlogomь^*	*bьrlogoma	*bьrlogy
locative	*bьrlodzě	*bьrlogu	*bьrlodzěxъ
vocative	*bьrlože	*bьrloga	*bьrlodzi

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

Alternative forms

*bьrloga

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: берлога (berloga)
  - Belarusian: бярло́г (bjarlóh), мярло́га (mjarlóha)
  - Russian: берло́га (berlóga), мерло́га (merlóga) (dialectal), мерлу́га (merlúga) (dialectal)
  - Ukrainian: берлога (berloha), барліг (barlih)
South Slavic:
- Bulgarian: бърлога (bǎrloga)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: брлог
  
  Latin script: brlog
- Slovene: brlog
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: brloh
  - Czech: brloh
- Old Polish: barłóg, barłogo
  - Polish: barłóg
    - → Low Prussian: Barlogg
  - Silesian: barłōg
- Slovak: brloh
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: barłóg
  - Slovincian: barlóg

Non-Slavic:
- → Albanian: bërllog
- → Romanian: bârlog (“den”)
- → Hungarian: barlang (“cave, den”)