Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/trava

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

Probably from Proto-Balto-Slavic *trāˀwā́ˀ.

Of uncertain origin, with no analogues outside of Slavic. Apparently related to Proto-Slavic *traviti (“to chew, to gnaw, to poison”), however, not certain in what manner.

Possibly from the same root as Proto-Slavic *tryti (“to rub, to crush”), Proto-Slavic *truti (“to consume, to poison”), which are believed to continue Proto-Indo-European *trewH-. For similar vṛddhi-like construction, compare Proto-Slavic *slava (“fame”) from Proto-Slavic *sluti (“to utter”). If correct, then likely akin to Ancient Greek τρῡ́ω (trū́ō, “to exhaust”), Ancient Greek τραῦμα (traûma, “wound, damage”), Ancient Greek τρώγω (trṓgō, “to chew, to gnaw”), and Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, to throw”).

See *traviti for further discussion.

Noun

*trāvà f

1. grass

Alternative forms

• *trěva (e-grade)

Inflection

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*trāvà	*trãvě	*trāvỳ
genitive	*trāvỳ	*trāvù	*trãvъ
dative	*trāvě̀	*trāvàma	*trāvàmъ
accusative	*trāvǫ̀	*trãvě	*trāvỳ
instrumental	*trāvòjǫ, *trãvǫ**	*trāvàma	*trāvàmī
locative	*trāvě̀	*trāvù	*trāvàsъ, *trāvàxъ*
vocative	*travo	*trãvě	*trāvỳ

^* -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

• *otrova (“poison”)
• *troviti, *traviti (“to poison”)
• *truti (“to consume, to poison”) (possibly)
• *tryti (“to rub, to crush”) (possibly)
• *trьvati (“to lose, to get rid of”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: трава (trava)
    • Belarusian: трава́ (travá)
    • Russian: трава́ (travá)
    • Carpathian Rusyn: трава́ (travá)
    • Ukrainian: трава́ (travá)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: трава (trava)

    Glagolitic: ⱅⱃⰰⰲⰰ (trava)

  • Bulgarian: трава́ (travá) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: тра́ва

    Latin script: tráva

  • Slovene: tráva (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: tráva
    • Czech: tráva
  • Kashubian: trôwa
  • Old Polish: trawa
    • Polish: trawa
    • Silesian: trŏwa
  • Slovak: tráva
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: trawa
    • Lower Sorbian: tšawa

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “трава”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress