Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/linь

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

Alternative forms

• *linъ

Etymology

Cognates may include Lithuanian lýnas, Latvian lĩnis, lĩns, līna, Old Prussian lins, although the correspondence of palatalized vs. velarized endings in Baltic (consistent with the geography of Slavic reflexes of *linь vs. *linъ) rather indicates borrowing. Possibly a suffixal derivation from *linjati (“to moult”).

Greek λινεύς (linéfs, “mullet”) is unrelated, being a back-formation from λινεύω (linévo, “to catch fish with a net”).

Noun

*linь m

1. tench

Declension

Declension of *linь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*linь	*lini	*linьje, *liňe*
genitive	*lini	*linьju, *liňu*	*linьjь, *lini*
dative	*lini	*linьma	*linьmъ
accusative	*linь	*lini	*lini
instrumental	*linьmь	*linьma	*linьmi
locative	*lini	*linьju, *liňu*	*linьxъ
vocative	*lini	*lini	*linьje, *liňe*

^* 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

• *liňь
• *linъkъ
• *liňevъ / *linovъ
• *liňakъ
• *linьcь
• *linьkъ

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: линь (linĭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: линь (linʹ)
      • Belarusian: лінь (linʹ); лін (lin), лын (lyn), лень (ljenʹ) (dialectal)
      • Ukrainian: лінь (linʹ), лень (lenʹ) (dialectal)
    • Russian: линь (linʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: линь (linĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰾⰺⱀⱐ (linĭ)

  • Bulgarian: лин (lin)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ли̏њ, ли̑њ, ли̏н́, лињ

    Latin script: lȉnj, lȋnj, lȉń, linj

  • Slovene: lînj (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: lín, líň
    • Czech: lín, líň
  • Slovak: lieň

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1988), “*linь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 15 (*lětina – *lokačь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 113
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “линь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress