Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/męzdra

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 reconstructions

*męzdro n

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mēmstra n (*mēmstrāˀ f), from Proto-Indo-European *mḗms-rom, from *mḗms (“flesh, meat”). Cognate with Latin membrum, Proto-Celtic *mīðrom.

Changing *-str- > *-zdr- under the influence of *dьrati.

Noun

*męzdra f^[1]^[2]

the inner side of a hide

Declension

Declension of *męzdra (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*męzdra	*męzdrě	*męzdry
genitive	*męzdry	*męzdru	*męzdrъ
dative	*męzdrě	*męzdrama	*męzdramъ
accusative	*męzdrǫ	*męzdrě	*męzdry
instrumental	męzdrojǫ, męzdrǫ^**	*męzdrama	*męzdrami
locative	*męzdrě	*męzdru	męzdrasъ, męzdraxъ^*
vocative	*męzdro	*męzdrě	*męzdry

^* -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

*męso (“meat”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: мѧздра (męzdra), мездра (mezdra), мѧждра (męždra)
  - Old Ruthenian: *мѧздра (*mjazdra), *мездра (*mezdra)
    - Belarusian: мяздра́ (mjazdrá); мездра́ (mjezdrá) (dialectal)
    - Ukrainian: міздря́ (mizdrjá); мездра́ (mezdrá) (dialectal)
  - Russian: мездра́ (mezdrá); мяздра́ (mjazdrá) (archaic, dialectal)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: мѧздра (męzdra)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰿⱔⰸⰴⱃⰰ (męzdra)
- Bulgarian: ме́здра́ (mézdrá) (dialectal, obsolete)
- Macedonian: мездра (mezdra)
- Serbo-Croatian: (obsolete)
  Cyrillic script: ме́здра
  
  Latin script: mézdra
- Slovene: mę̑zdra, mę̑zda, mę̑dra (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: mázdra
  - Czech: mázdra, mízdra, mázgra, mízgra
- Old Polish: miązdra, mięzdra
  - Polish: mizdra, miazdra; mięzdra (dialectal)
- Old Slovak: mazdra
  - Slovak: miazgra; mázdra, mázra (dialectal)

References

^ Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1992), “*męzdra/*męzdro”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 19 (*męs⁽'⁾arь – *morzakъ), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 22
^ Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mezdra; *mezdro”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 316