Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vьrtъpъ

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

• *vьrtьpъ

Etymology

According to Georgiev (BER), probably an ancient compound word from *vьrtěti + the descendant of Proto-Balto-Slavic *upas, *upis (“flowing water”) (cf. Russian Упа (Upa, “r. Upa”) (hydronym), Вопь (Vopʹ, “r. Vop”) (hydronym), Lithuanian ùpė (“river”), Latvian upe (“spring, water”)). This etymology however fails to explain the additional meanings “garden” and “cave, depression”. Per Vasmer, cognate with Lithuanian veriù, vérti (“close, lock up”)

Noun

*vьrtъpъ m

1. whirlpool (in Bulgarian)
2. cave, depression (in East Slavic, Slovene, Serbo-Croatian)
3. garden (in Old Church Slavonic)

Declension

Declension of *vьrtъpъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*vьrtъpъ	*vьrtъpa	*vьrtъpi
genitive	*vьrtъpa	*vьrtъpu	*vьrtъpъ
dative	*vьrtъpu	*vьrtъpoma	*vьrtъpomъ
accusative	*vьrtъpъ	*vьrtъpa	*vьrtъpy
instrumental	*vьrtъpъmь, *vьrtъpomь*	*vьrtъpoma	*vьrtъpy
locative	*vьrtъpě	*vьrtъpu	*vьrtъpěxъ
vocative	*vьrtъpe	*vьrtъpa	*vьrtъpi

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

• *vьrtъpistъ, *vьrtъpьnъ

Related terms

• *vьrtъ, *vortъ (“turn, revolution, arc”)
• *vьrtežь (“rotation, arcing”)
• *vortъ (“neck”)
• *vьrtъ, *vьrtogordъ (“garden”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: вьртьпъ (vĭrtĭpŭ), вертебъ (vertebŭ)
    • Russian: верте́п (vertép)
    • Ukrainian: верте́п (vertép), ве́ртіп (vértip)/ве́ртіб (vértib)
      • → Polish: wertep
  • Belarusian: вя́рцеп (vjárcjep) (reanalyzed)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: врьтопъ (vrĭtopŭ), врътопъ (vrŭtopŭ)

  • Bulgarian: върто́п (vǎrtóp), връто́п (vrǎtóp) (dialectal)
    • → Romanian: vârtop (“hole carved out of water”)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (dialectal, limited to Eastern Serbian)

    Cyrillic script: вртоп

  • Slovene: vrtȅp (tonal orthography)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “вертеп”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “въртоп”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 212
• вертеп in Горох.ua (Етимологія)
• Snoj, Marko (2016) “vrtep”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si