Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-iťь

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

Balto-Slavic innovation. Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *-īt-jas. Cognates include Lithuanian -ytis, Latvian -ītis.

Suffix

*-iťь m

1. Denominal, forming masculine attributables from action or agent nouns.

   *kъrma, *kъrmľa (“fodder, breast milk”) → *kъrmiťь (“nursling”)

   *batę (“elder brother”), *baťa (“father”) → *baťiťь (“son who resembles his father”)

2. Denominal, forming masculine diminutives from masculine nouns.

   *kozьlъ (“billy goat”) → *kozьliťь (“kid goat”)

   *otrokъ (“boy”) → *otročiťь (“child”)

   *bogъ (“god”) → *božiťь (“juvenile god”)

   *pъta (“fowl”) → *pъtiťь (“birdie”)

3. Denominal, forming patronyms and metronyms.

   Slovene: Janež → Janežič

4. Denominal, forming demonyms.

   Russian: Москва (Moskva) → москвич (moskvič)

   Slovene: Celovec → Celovčič, Podgora → Podgorčič

   *dręgy, *dręgъve (“swamp”) → Russian Дреговичи (Dregoviči) (East Slavic tribe)

   *obъ Odrě (“around Oder”) → *obodriťь (“Obotrites”)

5. Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of a property.

   *golъ (“naked”) → *goliťь (“something naked”)

   *bělъ (“white”) → *běliťь (“something white”)

6. (by extension) Denoting a carrier of a property but with a diminutive meaning through a parallel word formation from deadjectival nouns and adjectives.

   *moldъ (“young”), *moldę (“youngling”) → *moldiťь (“youngling”)

Declension

Declension of *-iťь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-iťь	*-iťa	*-iťi
genitive	*-iťa	*-iťu	*-iťь
dative	*-iťu	*-iťema	*-iťemъ
accusative	*-iťь	*-iťa	*-iťę̇
instrumental	*-iťьmь, *-iťemь*	*-iťema	*-iťi
locative	*-iťi	*-iťu	*-iťixъ
vocative	*-iťu	*-iťa	*-iťi

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-iťь

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -ичь (-ičĭ)
    • Belarusian: -іч (-ič)
    • Russian: -ич (-ič)
    • Ukrainian: -ич (-yč)
  • Old Novgorodian: -иць (-icĭ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Glagolitic script: -ⰹⱋⱐ (-ištĭ)

    Old Cyrillic script: -ищь (-ištĭ)

  • Bulgarian: -ич (-ič), -ичко (-ičko)
  • Macedonian: -иќ (-iḱ)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: -ић

    Latin script: -ić

  • Slovene: -ič
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -ic
  • Kashubian: -ëc
  • Old Polish: -ic, -yc
    • Polish: -ic, -yc
      • → Yiddish: ־יץ (-its)
  • Slovak: -ic
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: -ic
    • Upper Sorbian: -ic

References

• Šekli, Matej (2012) “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎^[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32