Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъšica

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 *mъxa +‎ *-ica, the diminutive of *muxa (“fly”). Logistically can be compared with Spanish mosquito, formed in a similar way from Latin musca (“fly”).

Noun

*mъšica f

literally small fly
gnat

Inflection

Declension of *mъšica (soft a-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mъšica	*mъšici	*mъšicę̇
genitive	*mъšicę̇	*mъšicu	*mъšicь
dative	*mъšici	*mъšicama	*mъšicamъ
accusative	*mъšicǫ	*mъšici	*mъšicę̇
instrumental	mъšicejǫ, mъšicǫ^**	*mъšicama	*mъšicami
locative	*mъšici	*mъšicu	mъšicasъ, mъšicaxъ^*
vocative	*mъšice	*mъšici	*mъšicę̇

^* -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).

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Russian: мши́ца (mšíca) (dialectal)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: мъшица (mŭšica)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰿⱏⱎⰻⱌⰰ (mŭšica)
- Slovene: mešica
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: mšicě
  - Czech: mšice
    - Bohemian (Chod dialect): šmíce
- Polish: mszyca
- Slovak: mšica

References

Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mъšica”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 336
Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “мши́ца”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress