Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/žila

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 Proto-Balto-Slavic *gī́ˀšlāˀ, cognate with Lithuanian gýsla (“vein”), Latvian dzîsla (“vein”) and the second part of Old Prussian pette-gislo (“back vein”). An earlier reflex *žixla may have been the origin of derivatives such as dial. Russian жихля́ть (žixljátʹ, “to sway, to lurch”) (parallel to Lithuanian gýslioti (“to tow, to flex, to contract”)).

There are two theories for Indo-European origin:

• from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰíH(s)leh₂, with cognates Old Armenian ջիլ (ǰil, “sinew”), Latin filum (“thread”).
• from *gʷiH-, akin to Sanskrit जिया (jiyā́), ज्या (jyā́, “bow-string”), Ancient Greek βιός (biós, “bow-string, tendon”).

Derksen and Snoj favor the former option, due to the presence of medial *-l-. De Vaan notes that the former is a *-sleh₂-extension of the latter, so the word is from the same root either way.

Noun

*žìla f

1. vein
2. sinew, tendon

Inflection

Declension of *žìla (hard a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*žìla	*žìlě	*žìly
genitive	*žìly	*žìlu	*žìlъ
dative	*žìlě	*žìlama	*žìlamъ
accusative	*žìlǫ	*žìlě	*žìly
instrumental	*žìlojǫ, *žìlǭ**	*žìlama	*žìlamī
locative	*žìlě	*žìlu	*žìlasъ, *žìlaxъ*
vocative	*žìlo	*žìlě	*žìly

^* -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

• *žilěti, *žiloviti (“to be sinewy, tensile”)
• *žilъka, *žilica (“veinlet”) (diminutive)
• *žilьje, *ožilьje (“tendon band”)
• *žilovъ, *žilavъ (“pliable, flexile”)
  • *žilavostь (“pliability, flexability”)
  • *žilavika, *žilavъka (“flexile grass, thistle, or shrub”)
  • *žilovьcь, *žilovikъ (“plant with veiny leaves”)
  • *žilavica (“tensile, flexible stick”)
• *žilěstъ (“sinewy, stringy”)

Related terms

• *žikati (“to prod, to lash”), *žixati (“to rock, to shake”)
• *žica (“thread, wire”)
• *žima, *žiňa (“strand of hair”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: жила (žila)
    • Belarusian: жы́ла (žýla)
    • Russian: жи́ла (žíla)
    • Ukrainian: жи́ла (žýla)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: жила (žila)

    Glagolitic: ⰶⰹⰾⰰ (žila)

  • Bulgarian: жи́ла (žíla)
  • Macedonian: жи́ла (žíla)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: жи̏ла

    Latin script: žȉla

  • Slovene: žíla (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: žíla
    • Czech: žíla
      • Moravian (Mistřice): žiu̯a
  • Kashubian: żëła
  • Old Polish: żyła
    • Polish: żyła
  • Slovak: žila
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: žyła
    • Upper Sorbian: žiła

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “жила”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “жила”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 545
• “gysla”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012