жена

See also: женя, Женя, and Appendix:Variations of "zena"

Bulgarian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Church Slavonic жена (žena), from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʒɛˈna]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -na

Noun

жена́ • (žená) f (relational adjective же́нски, diminutive жени́ца)

1. woman, lady, female
2. wife, spouse
3. charwoman, home help

Usage notes

• The vocative жено (ženo) is considered vulgar and is therefore generally avoided.

Declension

Declension of жена́

	singular	plural
indefinite	жена́ žená	жени́ žení
definite	жена́та ženáta	жени́те ženíte
vocative form	же́но žéno	жени́ žení

References

• “жена”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “жена”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “жена”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 536

Anagrams

• нежа (neža)

Carpathian Rusyn

Noun

же́на • (žéna) f

1. Lemko form of жона́ (žoná)

References

• Kercha, Ihor (2012) Словник русько-русинськый: у 2 т. [Russian-Rusyn Dictionary: in 2 vols] (overall work in Russian and Carpathian Rusyn), Uzhhorod: PoliPrint
• Ołeksandr Hojsak (2018) “жена”, in Słownik gwary łemkowskiej wsi Wysowa, 1 edition, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, →ISBN, page 55

Macedonian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʒɛna]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: же‧на

Noun

жена • (žena) f (plural жени, relational adjective женски, diminutive женичка or женче, augmentative жениште or женетина)

1. woman
2. wife

   Synonym: сопруга f (sopruga)

Declension

Declension of жена

	singular	plural
indefinite	жена	жени
definite unspecified	жената	жените
definite proximal	женава	жениве
definite distal	женана	женине
vocative	жено	жени

Antonyms

• маж m (maž)

Derived terms

• едноженство n (ednoženstvo)
• жени impf (ženi)
• женидба f (ženidba)
• женица f (ženica)
• женичка f (ženička)
• жениште n (ženište)
• женка f (ženka)
• женкар m (ženkar)
• женкарство n (ženkarstvo)
• женска f (ženska)
• женскар m (ženskar)
• женски (ženski)
• женско n (žensko)
• женсковина f (ženskovina)
• женскост f (ženskost)
• женскотија f (ženskotija)
• женствен (ženstven)
• женственост f (ženstvenost)
• женче n (ženče)
• женчуле n (ženčule)
• женчуленце n (ženčulence)
• многуженство n (mnoguženstvo)
• ожени pf (oženi)
• прежени pf (preženi)
• преженува impf (preženuva)
• прожени pf (proženi)
• се жени impf (se ženi)
• се ожени pf (se oženi)
• се прежени pf (se preženi)
• се преженува impf (se preženuva)
• се прожени pf (se proženi)

 

Old Church Slavonic

Alternative forms

• Glagolitic: ⰶⰵⱀⰰ (žena)

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

Noun

жена • (žena) f

1. woman
2. wife

Declension

Declension of жена (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	жена žena	женѣ ženě	женꙑ ženy
genitive	женꙑ ženy	женоу ženu	женъ ženŭ
dative	женѣ ženě	женама ženama	женамъ ženamŭ
accusative	женѫ ženǫ	женѣ ženě	женꙑ ženy
instrumental	женоѭ ženojǫ	женама ženama	женами ženami
locative	женѣ ženě	женоу ženu	женахъ ženaxŭ
vocative	жено ženo	женѣ ženě	женꙑ ženy

See also

Old Church Slavic family terms

отьчьство (otĭčĭstvo, “family”)	Male	Female
parent родител҄ь (roditelʹĭ)	отьць (otĭcĭ), авва (avva, “father”)	мати (mati, “mother”)
sibling	братръ (bratrŭ, “brother”)	сестра (sestra, “sister”)
child	сꙑнъ (synŭ, “son”)	дъщи (dŭšti, “daughter”)
grandparent	дѣдъ (dědŭ, “grandfather”)	баба (baba, “grandmother”)
grandchild	въноукъ (vŭnukŭ, “grandson”)	– (“granddaughter”)
great-grandparent	прѣдѣдъ (prědědŭ, “great-grandfather”)	– (“great-grandmother”)
mother's sibling	оуи (ui, “maternal uncle”)	– (“maternal aunt”)
father's sibling	стрꙑи (stryi, “paternal uncle”)	– (“paternal aunt”)
sibling's child	братанъ (bratanŭ), сꙑновь (synovĭ), сꙑновьць (synovĭcĭ, “nephew”)	братана (bratana, “niece”)
cousin	братоучѧдъ (bratučędŭ, “male cousin”)	братоучѧда (bratučęda, “female cousin”)
spouse	мѫжь (mǫžĭ), чрьтожьникъ (črĭtožĭnikŭ), малъженъ (malŭženŭ, “husband”)	жена (žena), чрьтожьница (črĭtožĭnica), съложь (sŭložĭ, “wife”)
parent of wife	тьсть (tĭstĭ, “father-in-law (wife's father)”)	тьща (tĭšta, “mother-in-law (wife's mother)”)
parent of husband	свекръ (svekrŭ, “father-in-law (husband's father)”)	свекрꙑ (svekry, “mother-in-law (husband's father)”)
sibling of husband	дєвєръ (deverŭ, “brother-in-law (husband's brother)”)	зълꙑ (zŭly, “sister-in-law (husband's sister)”)
spouse of child	зѧть (zętĭ, “son-in-law (daughter's husband)”)	снъха (snŭxa, “daughter-in-law (son's wife)”)
spouse of husband's brother	–	етрꙑ (etry), кѫпетра (kǫpetra, “sister-in-law (husband's brother's wife)”)
stepchild	пасторъкъ (pastorŭkŭ, “stepson”)	– (“stepdaughter”)
step-parent	отьчимъ (otĭčimŭ, “stepfather”)	мащеха (maštexa, “stepmother”)

Old East Slavic

Жена (1).

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *žena.

Pronunciation

• (ca. 9^th CE) IPA^(key): /ʑɛˈnɑ/
• (ca. 11^th CE) IPA^(key): /ʑɛˈna/
• (ca. 13^th CE) IPA^(key): /ʑɛˈna/
• Hyphenation: же‧на

Noun

жена (žena) f (diminutive женъка or жонка)

1. woman
2. wife

Declension

Declension of жена (hard a-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	жена žena	женѣ ženě	женꙑ ženy
Genitive	женꙑ ženy	жену ženu	женъ ženŭ
Dative	женѣ ženě	женама ženama	женамъ ženamŭ
Accusative	женѫ ženǫ	женѣ ženě	женꙑ ženy
Instrumental	женоѭ ženojǫ	женама ženama	женами ženami
Locative	женѣ ženě	жену ženu	женахъ ženaxŭ
Vocative	жено ženo	женѣ ženě	женꙑ ženy

Coordinate terms

• (woman): мѫжь (mǫžĭ, “man”)
• (wife): мѫжь (mǫžĭ, “husband”)

Descendants

• Old Ruthenian: жена (žena), жана (žana), жона (žona)
  • Belarusian: жана́ (žaná) (dated)
  • Carpathian Rusyn: жона́ (žoná), же́на (žéna) (Lemko)
  • Ukrainian: жона́ (žoná) (dated)
• Russian: жена́ (žená)

References

• Sreznevsky, Izmail I. (1893) “жена”, in Матеріалы для Словаря древне-русскаго языка по письменнымъ памятникамъ [Materials for the Dictionary of the Old East Slavic Language Based on Written Monuments]‎^[1] (in Russian), volumes 1 (А – К), Saint Petersburg: Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, column 857

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic жена (žena), from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn, whence English queen and gyno-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʐɨˈna]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a

Noun

жена́ • (žená) f anim (genitive жены́, nominative plural жёны, genitive plural жён, diminutive жёнушка or жену́ля or жену́лька)

1. wife

   Synonym: супру́га (suprúga)

   Antonym: супру́г m (suprúg)

   Antonym: муж m (muž)

2. (obsolete) woman

Declension

Declension of жена́ (anim fem-form hard-stem accent-d) 

	singular	plural
nominative	жена́ žená	жёны žóny
genitive	жены́ žený	жён žón
dative	жене́ žené	жёнам žónam
accusative	жену́ ženú	жён žón
instrumental	жено́й, жено́ю ženój, ženóju	жёнами žónami
prepositional	жене́ žené	жёнах žónax
vocative	же́но žéno

Pre-reform declension of жена́ (anim fem-form hard-stem accent-d) 

	singular	plural
nominative	жена́ žená	жёны žóny
genitive	жены́ žený	жёнъ žón
dative	женѣ́ ženě́	жёнамъ žónam
accusative	жену́ ženú	жёнъ žón
instrumental	жено́й, жено́ю ženój, ženóju	жёнами žónami
prepositional	женѣ́ ženě́	жёнахъ žónax

Derived terms

• жена́тый (ženátyj)
• жёнка (žónka)
• же́нщина (žénščina)
• жени́ть (ženítʹ)
• жени́ться (ženítʹsja)
• жени́тьба f (ženítʹba)
• женоненави́стничество n (ženonenavístničestvo)
• же́нин (žénin)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *žena, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *génāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒěna/
• Hyphenation: же‧на

Noun

жѐна f (Latin spelling žèna, diminutive жѐница, relational adjective жѐнскӣ)

1. woman
2. wife

Declension

Declension of жена

	singular	plural
nominative	жѐна	жене
genitive	жене	же́на̄
dative	жени	женама
accusative	жену	жене
vocative	же̏но	жене
locative	жени	женама
instrumental	женом	женама

Derived terms

• жѐнити

References

• “жена” in Hrvatski jezični portal