Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/korabľь

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. Probably from *čerti (“to cut, to separate; to peel the bark off trees”) or from *korà (“bark”), it might be also related to *kȏrbъ (“basket made of bark”). Suffixed with *-jь. Interfix -(a)b- is unclear, but compare -ub- in Bulgarian кору̀ба (korùba, “tree hollow”).

In the past it was believed to be borrowed from Ancient Greek κᾱρᾰ́βῐον (kārắbĭon), but it must have been borrowed before 2st century CE, when Ancient Greek β (b) was still pronunciated /b/ and not /β/~/v/, but such early borrowing from Greek is dubious for historical reasons, and sense “ship” is attested late. Original meaning “hollowed out tree trunk” of the Slavic word suggests native origin, and Greek “ship” is borrowed from Slavic.^[1]

Noun

*korãbľь m^[2]^[3]^[4]

hollowed out tree trunk
dugout (small long and narrow boat made from a hollowed-out log)

Inflection

Declension of *korãbľь (soft o-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*korãbľь	*korābľà	*korābľì
genitive	*korābľà	*korābľù	*korãbľь
dative	*korābľù	*korābľèma	*korãbľemъ
accusative	*korãbľь	*korābľà	*korābľę̇̀
instrumental	korābľь̀mь, korābľèmь^*	*korābľèma	*korãbľi
locative	*korābľì	*korābľù	*korãbľixъ
vocative	*korabľu	*korābľà	*korābľì

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: корабль (korablĭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: корабль (korablʹ)
    - Belarusian: карабе́ль (karabjélʹ)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: корабе́ль (korabélʹ)
    - Ukrainian: корабе́ль (korabélʹ)
  - Russian: кора́бль (koráblʹ), кора́бель (korábelʹ) (dialectal) (see there for further descendants)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: корабл҄ь (korablʹĭ), корабь (korabĭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⱃⰰⰱⰾ҄ⱐ (korablʹĭ), ⰽⱁⱃⰰⰱⱐ (korabĭ)
  - >? Bulgarian: ко́раб (kórab)
  - >? Macedonian: кораб (korab)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: ко̏ра̄бал, ко̀рабљ, ⇒ (dialectal) кора̏бла
  
  Latin script: kȍrābal, kòrablj, ⇒ (dialectal) korȁbla
- Slovene: korabəlj (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: koráb, ⇒ korábě
  - Czech: koráb
- Old Polish: korab
  - Polish: korab
- Slovak: koráb, ⇒ korába, korab
- Sorbian:
  - ⇒ Lower Sorbian: kórabje n, kórabja f
  - ⇒ Upper Sorbian: korabija f

Non-Slavic:
- → Romanian: corabie
- →? Byzantine Greek: κᾱρᾰ́βῐον (kārắbĭon)

References

^ Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “korab”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volumes II: K—Kot, Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego, page 472
^ Jakubowicz, Mariola, editor (2024), “korabjь”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 10 (-ka – kožuchъ), Warszawa: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, page 225
^ Klotz, Emanuel (2017) “*ka̱rā̱˙bjā˙”, in Urslawisches Wörterbuch [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in German), 1st edition, Wien: Facultas, →ISBN, page 126
^ Olander, Thomas (2001) “korabjь”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b skib (SA 146; PR 134)”

Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1984), “*korabjь / *korabъ / *korabь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 11 (*konьcь – *kotьna(ja)), Moscow: Nauka, page 44
Jiří Rejzek (2007) “koráb”, in Český etymologický slovník (in Czech), Leda, page 311

Václav Machek (1968) “koráb 2°”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka českého [Etymological Dictionary of the Czech Language], 2nd edition, Prague: Academia, page 276
Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “корабе́ль”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
Martynaŭ, V. U., Tsykhun, G. A., editors (1978–2017), “Карабе́ль”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka
Havlová, Eva, Erhart, Adolf, editors (1996), “korabľь”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského [Etymological Dictionary of the Old Church Slavonic Language] (in Czech), numbers 6 (klęti – kuditi), Prague: Academia, →ISBN, page 337
Schuster-Šewc, Heinz (1981) “ns. korabja”, in Historisch-etymologisches Wörterbuch der ober- und niedersorbischen Sprache [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Upper and Lower Sorbian Language] (in German), numbers 9 (kónc – kruženk), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, →ISBN, page 619
Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “кораб”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 626

[1] Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “korab”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volumes II: K—Kot, Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego, page 472

[2] Jakubowicz, Mariola, editor (2024), “korabjь”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 10 (-ka – kožuchъ), Warszawa: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, page 225

[3] Klotz, Emanuel (2017) “*ka̱rā̱˙bjā˙”, in Urslawisches Wörterbuch [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in German), 1st edition, Wien: Facultas, →ISBN, page 126

[4] Olander, Thomas (2001) “korabjь”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b skib (SA 146; PR 134)”

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]