žerchej

• IPA^(key): /ˈʒɛʀxɛj/
• Rhymes: -ɛʀxɛj
• Hyphenation: žer‧chej
• Syllabification: žer‧chej

Uncertain. The form suggests Proto-Slavic *žьrxy. Ultimately possibly from:

• Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- (“to burn”) (compare Proto-Slavic *žeravъ (“burning, scorching”), Upper Sorbian žorizna (“slag, dross, scoria”), Lower Sorbian žoratk (“glowing pieces of coal; glowing ash”)), compare Old Czech žeřátek ~ řeřátek (“glowworm”)
• Proto-Slavic *žerti (“to devour”)
• Proto-Slavic *rězati (“to cut”)

Old Polish żerzucha, Old Czech žeřucha and Slovak žerucha suggest Proto-Slavic *žeřuxa (“garden cress”) (but compare alternative forms Old Polish rzeżucha ~ rzeżycha ~ rzerucha ~ rzerzucha ~ żerucha, Czech řeřicha, hapax Old Slovak žericha). Upper Sorbian žerich (“white goosefoot”), Lower Sorbian žeruch, žeruš (“Ranunculus thora ~ common water crowfoot; cress”) suggest Proto-Slavic *žerixъ, *žeruxъ, *žerušь respectively.

Compare also žerlica (“woodruff”), žerchwica (“bittercress (Cardamine)”), Lower Sorbian žerglica, žerchlica (“cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis)”).

žerchej f

1. cress

or

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

žerchej

1. dative singular of žerch

• “žerchej” in Soblex
• Schuster-Šewc, Heinz (1989) “žerchej”, in Historisch-etymologisches Wörterbuch der ober- und niedersorbischen Sprache [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Upper and Lower Sorbian Language] (in German), numbers 23 (zahroda – žrěbjo), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, →ISBN, page 1790