Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/slьza

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

• *slьdza

Etymology

Considered a deverbative of *slьzati (“to slip, to slide”), ultimately a form of the root Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slide, to lick”). As such, the semantic development has been "something that slips, slides" > "tear, (tear)drop". Related to *slizь (“slime, mucus”), compare Middle Low German slik (“slime”), German schlickern (“to slip”), Middle High German slich (“clay, silt”). Also compare Lithuanian šlusti (“to clean, to sweep”), šlakėti (“to drip”), Latvian slota (“broom”); Sanskrit सृजति (sṛjati, “discharge, emit”), Avestan 𐬯𐬭𐬀𐬯𐬐𐬀 (sraska, “tear”), Persian سرشک (serešk, “teardrop”).

Noun

*slьzà f

1. tear (drop)

Declension

Declension of *slьzà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slьzà	*slь̏zě	*slь̏zy
genitive	*slьzý	*slьzù	*slь̀zъ
dative	*slьzě̀	*slьzàma	*slьzàmъ
accusative	*slь̏zǫ	*slь̏zě	*slь̏zy
instrumental	*slьzojǫ́	*slьzàma	*slьzàmi
locative	*slь̏zě	*slьzù	*slьzàsъ, *slьzàxъ*
vocative	*slьzo	*slь̏zě	*slь̏zy

^* -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.

Related terms

• *slizь

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: сльза (slĭza)
    • Old Ruthenian: слеза (sleza)
      • Belarusian: сляза́ (sljazá); сьляза́ (sʹljazá) (Taraškievica)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: слыза́ (slŷzá)
      • Ukrainian: сльоза́ (slʹozá); слеза́ (slezá), сліза́ (slizá) (dialectal)
    • Russian: слеза́ (slezá)
  • Old Novgorodian: сльꙁа (slĭza)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: сльза (slĭza)

    Glagolitic script: ⱄⰾⱐⰸⰰ (slĭza)

  • Bulgarian: сълза (sǎlza)
  • Macedonian: солза (solza)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: су̏за

    Latin script: sȕza

  • Slovene: sólza (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: slza, sľza (alternative writing)
    • Czech: slza
  • Kashubian: łza
  • Polabian: slåză
  • Old Polish: słza, łza
    • Polish: łza, śloza
  • Slovak: slza
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: łdza
    • Upper Sorbian: sylza

Further reading

• Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 567
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “слеза́”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Tsykhun, G. A., editor (2008), “сляза́”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), volumes 12 (свабо́да – стэ́сам), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (2006), “сльоза́”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volume 5 (Р – Т), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN, page 311
• Todorov, T. A., Racheva, M., editors (2010), “сълза̀”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 7 (слòво – теря̀свам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 663