Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bьrava

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

• *borva (БЕР)

Etymology

From *bьrati (“to take, to collect”) +‎ *-va or *bor- (“assembly”) +‎ *-va. The exact etymology is unknown since the etymon is attested relatively lately and only in South Slavic. The Balkan Turkish loanword perava nonetheless points towards *bьrava.

Noun

*bьrava f

1. latch, fastener, locking mechanism (of an old-time gate)
2. lock (of a modern door)

   Synonym: *zamъkъ

Inflection

Declension of *bьrava (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bьrava	*bьravě	*bьravy
genitive	*bьravy	*bьravu	*bьravъ
dative	*bьravě	*bьravama	*bьravamъ
accusative	*bьravǫ	*bьravě	*bьravy
instrumental	*bьravojǫ, *bьravǫ**	*bьravama	*bьravami
locative	*bьravě	*bьravu	*bьravasъ, *bьravaxъ*
vocative	*bьravo	*bьravě	*bьravy

^* -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

• *bьravarjь (“locksmith”)

Descendants

• East Slavic: —

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:
  • Bulgarian: брава (brava)
  • Macedonian: брава (brava)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бра̀ва

    Latin script: bràva

• West Slavic: —

• → Albanian: bravë
• → Greek: μπράβα (bráva) (dialectal)
• → Turkish: perava (dialectal)

Further reading

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “брава”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 71