Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bьčela

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 reconstructions

*bъčelà (ESSJa, Sławski)^[1]^[2]

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bikelāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰi-k-el-eh₂, from *bʰey- (“bee”). Cognate with Proto-Celtic *bikos (< *bʰi-k-os), Latin fūcus (< *bʰoy-k-os), Proto-Germanic *bijǭ. Baltic cognates (Latvian bite, Lithuanian bi̇̀tė, Old Prussian bitte) would in that case render the Proto-Balto-Slavic forms as *bikelē and *bitē.

The Psalterium Sinaiticum contains the only Old Church Slavonic instance of бьчела (bĭčela) but since the form бъчела (bŭčela) is just as rare, it is impossible to precisely reconstruct the late Proto-Slavic form of this word on the basis of Old Church Slavonic. Since this Proto-Slavic word was an oxytone, none of the descendant languages retain a reflex of the medial weak jer.

Alternatively (obsolete) explained as a deverbative of *bučati (“to make noise, roar”) and reconstructed as *bъčela. A bee is, therefore, the one that makes noise.

Noun

*bьčelà f^[3]^[4]^[5]^[1]^[2]

bee

Declension

Declension of *bьčelà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm b)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bьčelà	*bьčèlě	*bьčelỳ
genitive	*bьčelỳ	*bьčelù	*bьčèlъ
dative	*bьčelě̀	*bьčelàma	*bьčelàmъ
accusative	*bьčelǫ̀	*bьčèlě	*bьčelỳ
instrumental	bьčelòjǫ, bьčèlǫ^**	*bьčelàma	*bьčelàmī
locative	*bьčelě̀	*bьčelù	bьčelàsъ, bьčelàxъ^*
vocative	*bьčelo	*bьčèlě	*bьčelỳ

^* -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).

Derived terms

*bьčelę n
*bьčelica f
*bьčelinьcь n
*bьčelinъ
*bьčelinъkъ m
*bьčelьjь
*bьčelьnica f
*bьčelьnikъ m
*bьčelьnъ
*bьčelъka f
*bьčeľařь m

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: бьчела (bĭčela), бъчела (bŭčela), бчела (bčela), пъчела (pŭčela), пчела (pčela)
  - Old Ruthenian: бчола́ (bčolá), бжола́ (bžolá), бчела́ (bčelá), пчола́ (pčolá), пчела́ (pčelá), пщола́ (pščolá)
    - Belarusian: пчала́ (pčalá); пчола́ (pčolá), пшчала́ (pščalá), пшчо́ла (pščóla) (dialectal)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: пчола́ (pčolá)
    - Ukrainian: бджола́ (bdžolá); бжола́ (bžolá), пчола́ (pčolá), пщола́ (pščolá) (dialectal)
      - → Russian: бджела́ (bdželá), бжела́ (bželá) (dialectal)
  - Russian: пчела́ (pčelá); бчела́ (bčelá), мчела́ (mčelá), мцела́ (mcelá), чо́ла (čóla) (dialectal)
- Old Novgorodian: бьцела (bĭćela)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: бьчела (bĭčela), бъчела (bŭčela), пъчела (pŭčela)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰱⱐⱍⰵⰾⰰ (bĭčela), ⰱⱏⱍⰵⰾⰰ (bŭčela), ⱂⱏⱍⰵⰾⰰ (pŭčela)
- Bulgarian: пчела́ (pčelá); вчела́ (včelá), чела́ (čelá) (dialectal)
- Macedonian: пчела (pčela); пшела (pšela) (dialectal)
- Old Serbo-Croatian: пшела (pšela) (17ᵗʰ c.)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: пчѐла, чѐла
  
  Latin script: pčèla, čèla
  - Slavomolisano: čèla
- Slovene: čebẹ̑la, čbẹ̑la, čẹ̑la, bčẹ̑la, bečẹ̑la (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: včela
  - Czech: včela; včala, fčela, čela, ščela (dialectal)
    - Bohemian (Chod dialect): včala, včela
- Old Polish: pszczoła, pczoła
  - Polish: pszczoła
- Polabian: celă
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: pszczoła
  - Slovincian: pszczôla
- Slovak: včela; fčela, fčola, pčola, pčela, pščeu̯a, pčou̯a, ščela, pšela, čela (dialectal)
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: coła; pcoła (archaic, dialectal)
  - Upper Sorbian: pčoła, wčoła

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*bъčela”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 104
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “bъčela”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 456
^ Derksen, Rick (2008) “*bьčelà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 72: “f. ā (b) ‘bee’”
^ Klotz, Emanuel (2017) “*biče̱lā͘ «bьčela»”, in Urslawisches Wörterbuch [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in German), 1st edition, Wien: Facultas, →ISBN, page 74
^ Olander, Thomas (2001) “bьčela bьčely”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b/c bee (PR 135)”

[ESSJa-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*bъčela”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 104

[SP-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “bъčela”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 456

[3] Derksen, Rick (2008) “*bьčelà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 72: “f. ā (b) ‘bee’”

[4] Klotz, Emanuel (2017) “*biče̱lā͘ «bьčela»”, in Urslawisches Wörterbuch [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in German), 1st edition, Wien: Facultas, →ISBN, page 74

[5] Olander, Thomas (2001) “bьčela bьčely”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b/c bee (PR 135)”

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