Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mělь

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

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *(s)mēl-i-. Cognate with Lithuanian smė̃lis (“sand”), smėlỹs (“sand”), Latvian smēlis (“fine sand”), Old Norse melr (“sandbank”) (dialectal), Swedish smula (“chunk”) (dialectal). Related to *mělъkъ (“small, shallow”). Likely related to *melti (“to grind, mill”).

Noun

*mělь f

1. finely ground substance
2. chalk
3. sandbank

Usage notes

Apparently by Late Common Slavic times the two variants had started to diverge in meaning, with the feminine i-stem variant meaning "sand, sandbank" while the masculine o-stem variant meant "chalk, powder".

Declension

Declension of *mě̑lь (i-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mě̑lь	*mě̑li	*mě̑li
genitive	*mělí	*mělьjù, *měľu*	*mělь̀jь
dative	*mě̑li	*mělьmà	*mě̑lьmъ
accusative	*mě̑lь	*mě̑li	*mě̑li
instrumental	*mělьjǫ́	*mělьmà	*mělьmì
locative	*mělí	*mělьjù, *měľu*	*mě̑lьxъ
vocative	*měli	*mě̑li	*mě̑li

^* 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).

Alternative forms

• *mělъ m

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: мѣлъ (mělŭ)
    • Belarusian: мел (mjel)
    • Russian: мель f (melʹ), мел m (mel)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: мѣлъ m (mělŭ)

  • Old Serbo-Croatian: мѣль f
    • Chakavian: mẽlj m, mél m
  • Slovene: mẹ̑lj m (tonal orthography), mẹ̑l f
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: měl m
    • Czech: měl f
  • Old Polish: miel f, miał m
    • Polish: miał m, mieł m (dialectal)
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: měł, měłny