Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bernъ

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 *bérˀnas, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérh₁nos. Cognate with Lithuanian bérnas (“lad, boy”), Latvian bȩ̄̀rns (“child”) within Balto-Slavic and dialectal Ancient Greek φέρενᾱ (phérenā, “dowry”) (Aeolian) elsewhere. Further akin to Proto-Germanic *barną (“child”), Albanian barrë (“pregnancy”), Old Armenian բեռն (beṙn, “burden, duty”).

Martynov, Goląb consider *bernъ the primary word for “newborn, child” in Northern Balto-Slavic, while *dětъ (u-stem) - in the South (cf. Latin foetus (“pregnant”)).

Adjective

*bernъ

1. (obsolete) newborn

   Synonym: *novorod'enъ

2. (by extension) pregnant, expecting a newborn (for woman)

Declension

Indefinite declension of *bernъ (hard)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*bernъ	*berna	*berno
genitive	*berna	*berny	*berna
dative	*bernu	*berně	*bernu
accusative	*bernъ	*bernǫ	*berno
instrumental	*bernomь	*bernojǫ	*bernomь
locative	*berně	*berně	*berně
vocative	*berne	*berno	*berno
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*berna	*berně	*berně
genitive	*bernu	*bernu	*bernu
dative	*bernoma	*bernama	*bernoma
accusative	*berna	*berně	*berně
instrumental	*bernoma	*bernama	*bernoma
locative	*bernu	*bernu	*bernu
vocative	*berna	*berně	*berně
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*berni	*berny	*berna
genitive	*bernъ	*bernъ	*bernъ
dative	*bernomъ	*bernamъ	*bernomъ
accusative	*berny	*berny	*berna
instrumental	*berny	*bernami	*berny
locative	*berněxъ	*bernaxъ	*berněxъ
vocative	*berni	*berny	*berna

Definite declension of *bernъ (hard)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*bernъjь	*bernaja	*bernoje
genitive	*bernajego	*bernyję̇	*bernajego
dative	*bernujemu	*berněji	*bernujemu
accusative	*bernъjь	*bernǫjǫ	*bernoje
instrumental	*bernyjimь	*bernǫjǫ	*bernyjimь
locative	*bernějemь	*berněji	*bernějemь
vocative	*bernъjь	*bernaja	*bernoje
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*bernaja	*berněji	*berněji
genitive	*bernuju	*bernuju	*bernuju
dative	*bernyjima	*bernyjima	*bernyjima
accusative	*bernaja	*berněji	*berněji
instrumental	*bernyjima	*bernyjima	*bernyjima
locative	*bernuju	*bernuju	*bernuju
vocative	*bernaja	*berněji	*berněji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*berniji	*bernyję̇	*bernaja
genitive	*bernъjixъ	*bernъjixъ	*bernъjixъ
dative	*bernyjimъ	*bernyjimъ	*bernyjimъ
accusative	*bernyję̇	*bernyję̇	*bernaja
instrumental	*bernyjimi	*bernyjimi	*bernyjimi
locative	*bernyjixъ	*bernyjixъ	*bernyjixъ
vocative	*berniji	*bernyję̇	*bernaja

Derived terms

• *berniti (“to carry a child”)

Related terms

• *bermę (“load, burden”), *bermo (“cargo”)
• *berďь (“pregnant”)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: Брѣна (Brěna) (female personal name)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бре̏на (“pregnant”)

    Latin script: brȅna (“pregnant”)

Further reading

• Gołąb, Zbigniew (1992) “III. Stratification of vocabulary”, in The Origins Of The Slavs: A Linguist's View, Slavica, page 117: “*bernъ ~ *dětъ ‘child’, the former attested indirectly”
• “bernas”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė, 2007–2012