Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/stъpica

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

• *stьpica (based on doublet Old East Slavic стьпица (stĭpica), favoured by Brückner, Trautmann)

Etymology

Per Iljinsky, Uhlenbeck (favoured by Vasmer, Snoj): related to Latvian stups (“broom”), Lithuanian stū̃pas (“stem, stick”) (< stùplas (“rigid, stiff”)), presumably from Proto-Balto-Slavic *stúpas + *-ica. Vasmer further correlates dialectal Russian сто́пка (stópka, “wooden pin”) (< *stъpъka). If correct, probably cognate with Ancient Greek στύπος (stúpos, “stem”), Old Norse stúfr (“stump”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to prick, to stamp”).

Some of the descendants have been influenced/merged with closely sounding Germanic borrowings (cf. German Spitze (“tip, skewer”), Speiche (“spoke”); Old Norse spíkr (“spike”)).

Noun

*stъpìca f

1. spoke of wheel
2. (secondary) needle, pin

Declension

Declension of *stъpìca (soft a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*stъpìca	*stъpìci	*stъpìcę̇
genitive	*stъpìcę̇	*stъpìcu	*stъpìcь
dative	*stъpìcī	*stъpìcama	*stъpìcāmъ
accusative	*stъpìcǫ	*stъpìci	*stъpìcę̇
instrumental	*stъpìcējǫ, *stъpìcǭ*	*stъpìcama	*stъpìcāmī
locative	*stъpìcī	*stъpìcu	*stъpìcāsъ
vocative	*stъpìce	*stъpìci	*stъpìcę̇

^* 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: стъпица (stŭpica), спица (spica) (XII cent.)
    • Belarusian: спі́ца (spíca)
    • Russian: спи́ца (spíca), шпи́ца (špíca)
    • Ukrainian: спи́ця (spýcja)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: спи́ца (spíca)
  • Macedonian: спица (spica)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: спи̏ца, жби̏ца

    Cyrillic script: спи̏ца, žbȉca

  • Slovene: špíca, žbíca (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: stpicě
    • Czech: špice
  • Old Polish: stpica
    • Polish: szpica
  • Slovak: sрiса
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: stpica, stwica

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Albanian: shpicë
  • → Romanian: spiță

References

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “спица”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “стопка”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Todorov, T. A., Racheva, M., editors (2010), “спица”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 7 (слòво – теря̀свам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 391
• “stuplas”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012