Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъrmorьcь

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

*mъrmorьcь

Etymology

From *mъrmorъ (“small arthropod, tadpole”) +‎ *-ьcь. Probably via assimilation from an earlier *vьrmorьcь, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis (“worm”) + *-orъ +‎ *-ьcь, or alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“to grind, to rub”).

Compare also Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx, “ant”).

Noun

*mъrmorьcь m

1. small crustacean, shrimp
2. tadpole

Alternative forms

• *mormorьcь m, *mormorica f
• *mъrmolьcь

Declension

Declension of *mъrmorьcь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mъrmorьcь	*mъrmorьca	*mъrmorьci
genitive	*mъrmorьca	*mъrmorьcu	*mъrmorьcь
dative	*mъrmorьcu	*mъrmorьcema	*mъrmorьcemъ
accusative	*mъrmorьcь	*mъrmorьca	*mъrmorьcę̇
instrumental	*mъrmorьcьmь, *mъrmorьcemь*	*mъrmorьcema	*mъrmorьci
locative	*mъrmorьci	*mъrmorьcu	*mъrmorьcixъ
vocative	*mъrmorьče	*mъrmorьca	*mъrmorьci

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Related terms

• *vьrmьje (“insects”) (probably)
• *mъrmъkъ, *mъrmica (“type of insect, bug”)
• *mъrmyšь (“fishing bait”)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: мъ́рморец (mǎ́rmorec), мъма́рец (mǎmárec), мра́морец (mrámorec), мама́рец (mamárec, “amphipod”) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: мрморец (mrmorec), мрмолец (mrmolec, “small crustacean”) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (dialectal)

    Cyrillic script: мр̏морац, мр̏мољак (“cricket; newt”)

    Latin script: mȑmorac, mȑmoljak (“cricket; newt”)

  • Slovene: mramoríca f (< *mormorica) (obsolete)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Romanian: mormoloc (“tadpole”)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1994), “*mъmorьcь/*mъmolьcь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 20 (*morzatъjь – *mъrsknǫti), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 251
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “мърмор”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 416