Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/jьskra

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

Alternative reconstructions

• *jìskra

Etymology

Nominalization of an adjective Proto-Slavic *jьskrъ (“bright, stark, vivid”) + *-a, a 0-grade doublet of Proto-Slavic *ěskrъ (whence Polish jaskry and Bulgarian Искър). Likely akin to Lithuanian ýškus (“bright, clear”). If right, then from an earlier Proto-Balto-Slavic *ī́ˀškrāˀ, *áiˀškrāˀ.

The exact Indo-European root is unclear. Comparisons have made with Proto-Germanic *aiskrōną (“to rage”) (whence Icelandic ískra (“to creak”)), Ancient Greek ἐσχάρᾱ (eskhárā, “hearth”) (doubted by Vasmer). Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- (“to energize, to invigorate”) or *h₂eydʰ- (“to ignite”).

Noun

*jь̀skra f

1. spark

Alternative forms

• *ě̀skra, *jàskra

Declension

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*jь̀skra	*jь̀skrě	*jь̀skry
genitive	*jь̀skry	*jь̀skru	*jь̀skrъ
dative	*jь̀skrě	*jь̀skrama	*jь̀skramъ
accusative	*jь̀skrǫ	*jь̀skrě	*jь̀skry
instrumental	*jь̀skrojǫ, *jь̀skrǭ**	*jь̀skrama	*jь̀skramī
locative	*jь̀skrě	*jь̀skru	*jь̀skrasъ, *jь̀skraxъ*
vocative	*jь̀skro	*jь̀skrě	*jь̀skry

^* -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

• *jьskriti, *jastriti (“to spark, to emit a spark”)
• *jьskrěti (“to glimmer”)
• *jьskrica (diminutive)
• *jьskravъ, *ěskravъ (“bright, brilliant”)
• *jьskristъ (“sparkling”)

Related terms

• *ěska (“bright light, star”)
• *ěsъ, *ěsa (“clarity”)
• *ěsnъ (“clear, serene”) (from an earlier *ěsknъ)
• *ědъ, *ědmo (“poison, purulence”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: і́скра (ískra)
  • Russian: и́скра (ískra), искра́ (iskrá)
  • Ukrainian: і́скра (ískra)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: и́скра (ískra), искра́ (iskrá)
  • Macedonian: и́скра (ískra)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: и̏скра

    Latin: ȉskra

  • Slovene: iskra
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: jiskra
    • Czech: jiskra
      • Bohemian (Chod dialect): ískra
  • Kashubian: skra
  • Polabian: jåskră
  • Polish: iskra, skra, jaskra (“glaucoma”)
  • Slovak: iskra
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: škra
    • Lower Sorbian: škrja

Non-Slavic:

• → Albanian: iskër

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “и́скра”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1981), “jьskra”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 8 (*xa – *jьvьlga), Moscow: Nauka, page 239
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “искра”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 88
• іскра in Горох.ua (етимологія)
• Orel, Vladimir (2003) “*aiskrōjanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 10