Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vědьma

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

From *vě̀děti +‎ *-ьma.

Noun

*vě̀dьma f

1. witch

Declension

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*vě̀dьma	*vě̀dьmě	*vě̀dьmy
genitive	*vě̀dьmy	*vě̀dьmu	*vě̀dьmъ
dative	*vě̀dьmě	*vě̀dьmama	*vě̀dьmamъ
accusative	*vě̀dьmǫ	*vě̀dьmě	*vě̀dьmy
instrumental	*vě̀dьmojǫ, *vě̀dьmǭ**	*vě̀dьmama	*vě̀dьmamī
locative	*vě̀dьmě	*vě̀dьmu	*vě̀dьmasъ, *vě̀dьmaxъ*
vocative	*vě̀dьmo	*vě̀dьmě	*vě̀dьmy

^* -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

• *věďa (“knowledge”)
• *věděti (“to know”)
• *věstъ (“known”)
• *věstь (“message”)
• *věščь (“proficient, wise”)
• *nevěsta (“bride”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic:
    • Belarusian: ве́дзма (vjédzma)
    • Russian: ве́дьма (védʹma)
    • Ukrainian: ві́дьма (vídʹma)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: vědma
  • Polish: wiedźma

Further reading

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