Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kobь

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

Uncertain:

• Traditionally compared with Old Norse happ (“hap, chance, good luck”), Old Irish cob (“victory”) (per Pedersen, Berneker, favoured by Vasmer), presumably from Proto-Indo-European *kob- (“good fortune, prophecy”). Phonetically problematic, as such a reconstruction is expected to yield Slavic **kabь (by Winter's law).
• Some Balto-Slavists (Jagić, Trubačev, Toporov) alternatively relate it to Lithuanian kabė́ti (“to hang”), kabė̃ (“staples”), according to some interpretations (e.g. Meillet) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kеbʰ- (“to hook, to cling”). If correct, then possibly akin to Proto-Slavic *skoba (“shackle”), Russian ко́бень (kóbenʹ, “hook”).
• Per Sławski (accepted by BER), of expressive origin related to Proto-Slavic *kobьcь (“bird of prey”), perhaps from *kabʰ- (“to snatch, to seize”).

Noun

*kobь f

1. fate, doom

   Synonyms: *sǫdьba, *doľa

2. omen, divination

   Synonym: *znamenьje

Alternative forms

• *koba (ā-stem)

Declension

Declension of *kobь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kobь	*kobi	*kobi
genitive	*kobi	*kobьju, *kobľu*	*kobьjь, *kobi*
dative	*kobi	*kobьma	*kobьmъ
accusative	*kobь	*kobi	*kobi
instrumental	*kobьjǫ, *kobľǫ*	*kobьma	*kobьmi
locative	*kobi	*kobьju, *kobľu*	*kobьxъ
vocative	*kobi	*kobi	*kobi

^* 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

• *kobiti (“to divinate”)
• *prokoba (“jinx, ill fate”), *zъlokoba (“bad omen”)
• *kobьnъ (relative adjective)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: кобь (kobĭ)
    • Russian: кобь (kobʹ) (obsolete)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: кобь (kobĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⰱⱐ (kobĭ)

  • Bulgarian: ко́ба (kóba) (poetic)
  • Macedonian: коба (koba)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ко̑б

    Latin script: kȏb

• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: koba
  • Polabian: ťübə (“ghost, evil creature”)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Albanian: kobë (“bad time, trouble”)
  • → Romanian: cobie (“misfortune”)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кобь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “коба”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 499
• “kabėti”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012