Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ačь

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

• Morphologically possibly from reinterpreting of some deverbal agent nouns (e.g. *kovačь ← *kovati +‎ *-čь : *kovъ +‎ *-ačь). Synchronically it is an independent suffix.
• Semantically it's close to denominal suffix *-atъ. But in this case form **-aťь is expected, though compare *porťa : *porkъ.

Suffix

*-ačь m

1. Denominal, forming nouns denoting a carrier of a property.

   *kolo (“wheel”) → *kolačь (“cake”)

   *bogъ (“wealth, fortune”) → *bogačь (“a wealthy man”) (compare *bogatъ (“wealthy”))

   *borda (“beard”) → *bordačь (“a bearded man”) (compare *bordatъ (“bearded”))

   *golva (“head”) → *golvačь (“one having a big head”) (compare *golvatъ)

   *rogъ (“horn”) → *rogačь (“horned animal”) (compare *rogatъ (“horned”))

Declension

Declension of *-ačь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ačь	*-ača	*-ači
genitive	*-ača	*-aču	*-ačь
dative	*-aču	*-ačema	*-ačemъ
accusative	*-ačь	*-ača	*-ačę̇
instrumental	*-ačьmь, *-ačemь*	*-ačema	*-ači
locative	*-ači	*-aču	*-ačixъ
vocative	*-aču	*-ača	*-ači

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

See also

• *-atъ
• *-akъ

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ačь

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -ачь (-ačĭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: -ачъ (-ač), -ачь (-ačʹ)
      • Belarusian: -а́ч (-áč)
      • Ukrainian: -а́ч (-áč)
    • Russian: -а́ч (-áč)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: -ач (-ač) (rare)
  • Macedonian: -ач (-ač) (rare)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (rare?)

    Cyrillic script: -а̄ч

    Latin script: -ȃč

  • Slovene: -áč
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: -áč
    • Czech: -áč, -ač
  • Kashubian: -ôcz
  • Polabian: -ăc
  • Old Polish: -acz
    • Polish: -acz
  • Slovak: -ocz
  • Slovak: -áč
  • Slovincian: -ócz, -ocz, -acz, -acz
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: -ač
    • Lower Sorbian: -ac

Further reading

• 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
• Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-ačь”, in Słownik prasłowiański (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 102