Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/lęčь

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

Instrumental/resultant noun from *lękťi (“to bend and stretch”) +‎ *-ь, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lenkʷ- or *(s)lenk- (“to curve, to wind”). Cognate with dialectal Lithuanian leñkis (“lock, sluice”), Old Norse lengja (“strap”). Further akin to Latvian lìks (“crooked”), possibly Latin laqueus (“noose”).

Noun

*lę̑čь f

1. running knot, lace, snare

   Synonyms: *primъka, *petьlъ, *sidlo

Alternative forms

• *lęča (jā-stem)

Declension

Declension of *lęčь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*lęčь	*lęči	*lęči
genitive	*lęči	*lęčьju, *lęču*	*lęčьjь, *lęči*
dative	*lęči	*lęčьma	*lęčьmъ
accusative	*lęčь	*lęči	*lęči
instrumental	*lęčьjǫ, *lęčǫ*	*lęčьma	*lęčьmi
locative	*lęči	*lęčьju, *lęču*	*lęčьxъ
vocative	*lęči	*lęči	*lęči

^* 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).

Derived terms

• *lęčiti (“to crook, to creep, to tremble”)
• *lęčьka, *lęčica (diminutive)
• *lęčizna, *lęčivo (“binding, noose”)

Related terms

• *lękъ, *lękavъ (“bent, crooked”)
• *lǫkъ (“bow”)
• *lǫka (“meadow, lowland”)
• *lęxъ (“Lechian”) (possibly)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • >? Bulgarian: ле́чие (léčie, “thread of life”) (poetic, dialectal; attested in Christmas carols)
  • ⇒ Serbo-Croatian: (16 cent.)

    Cyrillic script: ле́ча, ле́чка (“snare, loop”)

    Latin script: leča (obsolete, attested in the proverb da ne stave leču)

  • ⇒ Slovene: lę̑čka (“sling”) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: leč
    • Czech: léč
  • >? Old Polish: łącz (“true sedge”)
    • Polish: łącz
  • Polabian: ląč
  • Sorbian:
    • ⇒ Upper Sorbian: lečica, lečizna, lečwo

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “полячь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1988), “*lękъ/*lęka/*lęčь/*lęča”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 15 (*lětina – *lokačь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 63