Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/stopa

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

Unclear; possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tep- (“to trample”) (whence also *tepti (“to beat”), *stepь (“steppe”)) or *(s)temp- (“to stamp”) (whence *stǫpa (“piston, mortar”)) with irregular loss of nasalization. Compare Proto-Germanic *stappōną (“to walk”).

Vasmer, Ivanov additionally consider potential relation to Sanskrit स्थापयति (sthāpayati, “to uphold, to set up”) (< *sth₂- + *-op-), which has been alternatively compared with South Slavic *stopanъ (“landlord”), Lithuanian pãstapas (“column, stand”), stapýti (“to stand still”).

Noun

*stōpà f

1. foot

   Synonym: *nogà

2. footprint, footstep, trace

   Synonyms: *pętьno, *slě̑dъ, *tropъ

Inflection

Declension of *stopà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*stopà	*stòpě	*stopỳ
genitive	*stopỳ	*stopù	*stòpъ
dative	*stopě̀	*stopàma	*stopàmъ
accusative	*stopǫ̀	*stòpě	*stopỳ
instrumental	*stopòjǫ, *stòpǫ**	*stopàma	*stopàmī
locative	*stopě̀	*stopù	*stopàsъ, *stopàxъ*
vocative	*stopo	*stòpě	*stopỳ

^* -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).

Related terms

noun

• *stepenь

 

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: стопа (stopa)
    • Russian: стопа́ (stopá)
    • Ukrainian: стопа́ (stopá)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: стопа (stopa)

    Glagolitic script: ⱄⱅⱁⱂⰰ (stopa)

  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: сто̀па

    Latin script: stòpa

  • Slovene: stópa (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: stopa
    • Czech: stopa
  • Kashubian: stopa
  • Old Polish: stopa
    • Polish: stopa
  • Slovak: stopa
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: stopa
    • Upper Sorbian: stopa

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “стопа́”, 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), “стопанин”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 7 (слòво – теря̀свам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 477
• “stapýtis”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012