Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/lǫkъ

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 *lankás. Related to the verb *lęťi (“to bend”). Cognate with Lithuanian lañkas (“bow, arc”) and Latvian loks (“bow; arch”).

Noun

*lǫ̑kъ m

1. bow (weapon used for shooting arrows)

Declension

Declension of *lǫ̑kъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*lǫ̑kъ	*lǫ̑ka	*lǫ̑ci
genitive	*lǫ̑ka	*lǫkù	*lǫ̃kъ
dative	*lǫ̑ku	*lǫkomà	*lǫkòmъ
accusative	*lǫ̑kъ	*lǫ̑ka	*lǫ̑ky
instrumental	*lǫ̑kъmь, *lǫ̑komь*	*lǫkomà	*lǫký
locative	*lǫ̑cě	*lǫkù	*lǫcě̃xъ
vocative	*lǫče	*lǫ̑ka	*lǫ̑ci

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Related terms

• *lękati, *lęcati (“to set traps, to scare?”)
• *lęťi (“to bend”)
• *lękъ (“bent”)
• *lǭčìti (“to separate”)
• *lǫčьje (“rush”)
• *lǭkà (“low-lying meadow”)
• *lǫkàvъ (“curved, cunning”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: лук (luk)
  • Russian: лук (luk)
  • Ukrainian: лук (luk)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: лѫкъ (lǫkŭ)

    Glagolitic: ⰾⱘⰽⱏ (lǫkŭ)

  • Bulgarian: лък (lǎk), лънк (lǎnk) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: лак (lak)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: лу̑к

    Latin script: lȗk

  • Slovene: lọ̑k (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: luk
    • → Polish: łuk
  • Kashubian: łãk
  • Polabian: lauk
  • Polish: łęk
  • Slovak: luk

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “лук”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress