Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mačьka

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

Most likely from *maca (“pussycat, kitty”) +‎ *-ьka (diminutive suffix); however, note that *maca is only attested in South Slavic. Possibly it used to have a wider distribution. Alternatively perhaps from the same onomatopeic form that gave rise to *maca independently suffixed with *-ьka; compare Serbo-Croatian mac (“utterance used to summon cats”).

Noun

*mačьka f

  1. cat

Inflection

Declension of *mačьka (hard a-stem)
singular dual plural
nominative *mačьka *mačьcě *mačьky
genitive *mačьky *mačьku *mačьkъ
dative *mačьcě *mačьkama *mačьkamъ
accusative *mačьkǫ *mačьcě *mačьky
instrumental *mačьkojǫ, *mačьkǫ** *mačьkama *mačьkami
locative *mačьcě *mačьku *mačьkasъ, *mačьkaxъ*
vocative *mačьko *mačьcě *mačьky

* -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:
    • Carpathian Rusyn: ма́чка (máčka)
  • South Slavic:
  • West Slavic:
  • Non-Slavic:

Further reading

  • Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1990), “*macьkъ / *macьka / *mačьkъ / *mačьka”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 17 (*lъžь – *matješьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 113
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