Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bolna

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

Nomen abstractum of Proto-Balto-Slavic *balˀnas (“white, bright”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰolHnos (“bright, clear, vibrant”) + *-h₂. Cognate with Lithuanian bálnas (“white, having a white back”).

Noun

*bòlna f

1. membrane
2. fadedness (in South Slavic)

Declension

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bòlna	*bòlně	*bòlny
genitive	*bòlny	*bòlnu	*bòlnъ
dative	*bòlně	*bòlnama	*bòlnamъ
accusative	*bòlnǫ	*bòlně	*bòlny
instrumental	*bòlnojǫ, *bòlnǭ**	*bòlnama	*bòlnamī
locative	*bòlně	*bòlnu	*bòlnasъ, *bòlnaxъ*
vocative	*bòlno	*bòlně	*bòlny

^* -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).

Related terms

• *bolnь (whence Russian бо́лонь (bólonʹ))
  • *bolnьje (“marsh, lawn, slime”)
• *bolto (“swamp”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: болона (bolona)
    • Belarusian: бало́на (balóna)
    • Russian: болона́ (boloná)
    • Ukrainian: боло́на (bolóna)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:
    • Church Slavonic (Russian recension): блана (blana)
  • Bulgarian: блана́ (blaná)
  • Macedonian: блана́ (blaná)
  • Slovene: blána (tonal orthography) (obsolete)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: blána
  • Kashubian: blóna (“cloud”)
  • Polabian: blånă (“meadow”)
  • Polish: błona
  • Slovak: blana
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: błona

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Albanian: blanë

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1975), “*bolna”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 2 (*bez – *bratrъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 175
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “болона”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress