Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/brinъ

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

Per Snoj, from the root of Proto-Slavic *borъ (“pine”), perhaps Proto-Indo-European *bʰrH- (“piercing, prickly”) + *-inъ. For the derivation, Snoj juxtaposes it with Proto-Slavic *klinъ (“wedge”) < *kolti (“to slaughter”), *kolъ (“stake”). Semantically, either referring to the sharpness of the conifer leaves or the pungent smell of their resin.

Possibly cognate with Proto-Germanic *brīnaz (“briny, salty”).

Noun

*brìnъ m

1. type of conifer

   → juniper (family Cupressaceae)

   → larch (family Pinaceae)

Alternative forms

• *brina f
• *brimъ (in West Slavic dialects)

Inflection

Declension of *brìnъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*brìnъ	*brìna	*brìni
genitive	*brìna	*brìnu	*brìnъ
dative	*brìnu	*brìnoma	*brìnomъ
accusative	*brìnъ	*brìna	*brìny
instrumental	*brìnъmь, *brìnomь*	*brìnoma	*brìnȳ
locative	*brìně	*brìnu	*brìně̄xъ
vocative	*brìne	*brìna	*brìni

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

Derived terms

• *brinьje (collective)
• *brinovъ

Related terms

• *borъ (“conifer”)
• *briti (“to shave”)
  • *bričь (“razor”)
  • *bridъkъ (“sharp; pungent, tart”), *bridьnъ (“stinky, piercing”)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Serbo-Croatian: brȋn (“juniper”) (Chakavian)
  • Slovene: brȉn (“juniper”) (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: břím (“larch”)
  • Polish: brzyn (“type of deciduous shrub”) (regional)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*brinъ/*brimъ/*brina”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 30