Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъldni

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

• *mъldnьji
• *mъlnьji
• *mьlnьji

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *mildnī, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dʰ-nih₂, from *meldʰ- (“lightning”).

Baltic cognates include Latvian milna (“hammer of the thunderer”), Old Prussian mealde (“lightning”).

Probable other Indo-European cognates include Old Norse Mjǫllnir (“Thor's hammer”), Middle Welsh mellt, myllt, Welsh mellt (“lightning”).

Noun

*mъldni f

1. lightning

Declension

Declension of *mъldni (ī-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mъldni	*mъldňi	*mъldňę̇
genitive	*mъldňę̇	*mъldňu	*mъldňь
dative	*mъldňi	*mъldňama	*mъldňamъ
accusative	*mъldňǫ	*mъldňi	*mъldňę̇
instrumental	*mъldňejǫ, *mъldňǫ**	*mъldňama	*mъldňami
locative	*mъldňi	*mъldňu	*mъldňasъ, *mъldňaxъ*
vocative	*mъldňe	*mъldňi	*mъldňę̇

^* -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).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: мълнии (mŭlnii), мълнꙗ (mŭlnja)
    • Belarusian: мала́нка (malánka), мо́лання (mólannja) (dialectal), мало́ння (malónnja) (dialectal), маладня́ (maladnjá) (dialectal)
    • Russian: мо́лния (mólnija), моло́нья (molónʹja) (dialectal), молодня́ (molodnjá) (dialectal), меленья́ (melenʹjá) (dialectal)
    • Ukrainian: маладня́ (maladnjá) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: млъни (mlŭni), млънии (mlŭnii), млъньи (mlŭnĭi), мльнии (mlĭnii), мльньи (mlĭnĭi)

    Glagolitic script: ⰿⰾⱏⱀⰻ (mlŭni), ⰿⰾⱏⱀⰻⰻ (mlŭnii)

  • Bulgarian: мъ́лния (mǎ́lnija)
  • Macedonian: молња (molnja)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: му́ња

    Latin script: múnja

  • Slovene: molnja
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: mlna (archaic)
  • Polabian: måuńă
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: môłniô, mniô, melniô
    • Slovincian: môlnjo
    • → Polish: mełnia (dialectal), mołnia (dialectal)

References

• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mъldni”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 333
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “мо́лния”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress