Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bernъ
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
From Proto-Balto-Slavic *bérˀnas, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérh₁nos. Cognate with Lithuanian bérnas (“lad, boy”), Latvian bȩ̄̀rns (“child”) within Balto-Slavic and dialectal Ancient Greek φέρενᾱ (phérenā, “dowry”) (Aeolian) elsewhere. Further akin to Proto-Germanic *barną (“child”), Albanian barrë (“pregnancy”), Old Armenian բեռն (beṙn, “burden, duty”).
Martynov, Goląb consider *bernъ the primary word for “newborn, child” in Northern Balto-Slavic, while *dětъ (u-stem) - in the South (cf. Latin foetus (“pregnant”)).
Adjective
*bernъ
Declension
| singular | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *bernъ | *berna | *berno |
| genitive | *berna | *berny | *berna |
| dative | *bernu | *berně | *bernu |
| accusative | *bernъ | *bernǫ | *berno |
| instrumental | *bernomь | *bernojǫ | *bernomь |
| locative | *berně | *berně | *berně |
| vocative | *berne | *berno | *berno |
| dual | masculine | feminine | neuter |
| nominative | *berna | *berně | *berně |
| genitive | *bernu | *bernu | *bernu |
| dative | *bernoma | *bernama | *bernoma |
| accusative | *berna | *berně | *berně |
| instrumental | *bernoma | *bernama | *bernoma |
| locative | *bernu | *bernu | *bernu |
| vocative | *berna | *berně | *berně |
| plural | masculine | feminine | neuter |
| nominative | *berni | *berny | *berna |
| genitive | *bernъ | *bernъ | *bernъ |
| dative | *bernomъ | *bernamъ | *bernomъ |
| accusative | *berny | *berny | *berna |
| instrumental | *berny | *bernami | *berny |
| locative | *berněxъ | *bernaxъ | *berněxъ |
| vocative | *berni | *berny | *berna |
| singular | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *bernъjь | *bernaja | *bernoje |
| genitive | *bernajego | *bernyję̇ | *bernajego |
| dative | *bernujemu | *berněji | *bernujemu |
| accusative | *bernъjь | *bernǫjǫ | *bernoje |
| instrumental | *bernyjimь | *bernǫjǫ | *bernyjimь |
| locative | *bernějemь | *berněji | *bernějemь |
| vocative | *bernъjь | *bernaja | *bernoje |
| dual | masculine | feminine | neuter |
| nominative | *bernaja | *berněji | *berněji |
| genitive | *bernuju | *bernuju | *bernuju |
| dative | *bernyjima | *bernyjima | *bernyjima |
| accusative | *bernaja | *berněji | *berněji |
| instrumental | *bernyjima | *bernyjima | *bernyjima |
| locative | *bernuju | *bernuju | *bernuju |
| vocative | *bernaja | *berněji | *berněji |
| plural | masculine | feminine | neuter |
| nominative | *berniji | *bernyję̇ | *bernaja |
| genitive | *bernъjixъ | *bernъjixъ | *bernъjixъ |
| dative | *bernyjimъ | *bernyjimъ | *bernyjimъ |
| accusative | *bernyję̇ | *bernyję̇ | *bernaja |
| instrumental | *bernyjimi | *bernyjimi | *bernyjimi |
| locative | *bernyjixъ | *bernyjixъ | *bernyjixъ |
| vocative | *berniji | *bernyję̇ | *bernaja |
Derived terms
- *berniti (“to carry a child”)
Related terms
Descendants
- South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: Брѣна (Brěna) (female personal name)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic script: бре̏на (“pregnant”)
- Latin script: brȅna (“pregnant”)
Further reading
- Gołąb, Zbigniew (1992) “III. Stratification of vocabulary”, in The Origins Of The Slavs: A Linguist's View, Slavica, page 117: “*bernъ ~ *dětъ ‘child’, the former attested indirectly”
- “bernas”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012