Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kotъka

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 1

Originally a diminutive form of *kòtъ (“cat”) +‎ *-ъka (“diminutive suffix”).

Noun

*kòtъka f

1. feminine of *kotъ (“cat”)

   Synonym: *mačьka

Declension

Declension of *kotъka (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kotъka	*kotъcě	*kotъky
genitive	*kotъky	*kotъku	*kotъkъ
dative	*kotъcě	*kotъkama	*kotъkamъ
accusative	*kotъkǫ	*kotъcě	*kotъky
instrumental	*kotъkojǫ, *kotъkǫ**	*kotъkama	*kotъkami
locative	*kotъcě	*kotъku	*kotъkasъ, *kotъkaxъ*
vocative	*kotъko	*kotъcě	*kotъky

^* -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

• *kotica, *koťьka (“female cat”)
• *kotę (“pussycat”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: ко́тъка (kótŭka)
    • Old Ruthenian: ко́тка (kótka)
      • Belarusian: ко́тка (kótka) (regional)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: ко́тка (kótka) (regional)
      • Ukrainian: кі́тка (kítka)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: котъка (kotŭka)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⱅⱏⰽⰰ (kotŭka)

  • Bulgarian: ко́тка (kótka)
  • Macedonian: котка (kotka) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: котка (archaic, rare)

    Latin script: kotka (archaic, rare)

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: kotka
  • Old Polish: kotka
    • Polish: kotka; ku̯etka (dialectal)
  • Slovincian: kôtk

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1984), “*kotъka”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 11 (*konьcь – *kotьna(ja)), Moscow: Nauka, page 212
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “котка¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 676

Etymology 2

From *koty (“anchor”) +‎ *-ъka (“diminutive suffix”).

Noun

*kòtъka f

1. Alternative form of *koty (“anchor”)
2. (by extension) pulley, roll

Declension

Declension of *kotъka (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kotъka	*kotъcě	*kotъky
genitive	*kotъky	*kotъku	*kotъkъ
dative	*kotъcě	*kotъkama	*kotъkamъ
accusative	*kotъkǫ	*kotъcě	*kotъky
instrumental	*kotъkojǫ, *kotъkǫ**	*kotъkama	*kotъkami
locative	*kotъcě	*kotъku	*kotъkasъ, *kotъkaxъ*
vocative	*kotъko	*kotъcě	*kotъky

^* -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

• *kotiti (“to roll, to tong”)
• *kotъkъ (“roller”)
• *kotučь (“roller, wheel”), *katučьka (“cart”)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: котъка (kotŭka)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⱅⱏⰽⰰ (kotŭka)

    • Bulgarian: ко́тка (kótka) (dialectal)
    • → Old East Slavic: котъка (kotŭka, “anchor”)
      • Russian: ко́тка (kótka)
  • Macedonian: котка (kotka) (dialectal)

• → Albanian: kotkë (“bundle, curl”)
• → Aromanian: cotcă (“pulley”)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ко́тка”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “котка³”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 676