Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ota

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 *-atā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *-otéh₂, encountered in Sanskrit दीर्घ (dīrgha, “long”) : दीर्घता (dīrghatā, “length, longness”).

Suffix

*-otà f

Deadjectival, forming abstract nouns denoting the specified attribute; -ness
Synonyms: *-ina, *-ostь

*dьlgъ (“long”) → *dьlgota (“length”)

*golъ (“bare, naked”) → *golotа (“nakedness”)

*slěpъ (“blind”) → *slěpota (“blindness”)

*bělъ (“white”) → *bělota (“whiteness”)

*ostrъ (“sharp”) → *ostrota (“sharpness”)
Deadjectival, forming gauge nouns measuring the specified attribute; -ity, -th
*gǫstъ (“dense”) → *gǫstota (“density”)

*čęstъ (“frequent”) → *čęstota (“frequency”)

*širokъ (“wide”) → *širota (“width”)

*teplъ (“warm, hot”) → *teplota (“heat, temperature”)
Deadjectival, forming agent nouns carrying the specified attribute
*sirъ (“sorrow”) → *sirota (“orphan”)

*junъ (“young”) → *junota (“youth”)

*pěxъ (“pedestrian”) → *pěxota (“infantry”)
Denominal, forming activities or abstractions
*orbъ (“servant, slave”) → *orbota (“work”)

*tъska (“melancholy, sorrow, grief”) → *tъščь (“hollow”) → *tъščeta (“damage”)

*krasa (“beauty”) → *krasota (“beauty”)

*sormъ (“shame”) → *sormota (“embarrassment, disgrace”)

Declension

Declension of *-ota (hard a-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ota	*-otě	*-oty
genitive	*-oty	*-otu	*-otъ
dative	*-otě	*-otama	*-otamъ
accusative	*-otǫ	*-otě	*-oty
instrumental	-otojǫ, -otǫ^**	*-otama	*-otami
locative	*-otě	*-otu	-otasъ, -otaxъ^*
vocative	*-oto	*-otě	*-oty

^* -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

Related terms

*-otъ m
*-otь (i-stem)
*-ъtъ

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -ота (-ota)
  - Old Ruthenian: -ота (-ota)
    - Belarusian: -ата (-ata), -о́та (-óta)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: -ота (-ota)
    - Ukrainian: -ота (-ota)
  - Russian: -ота (-ota)
- Old Novgorodian: -ота (-ota)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: -ота (-ota)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⱁⱅⰰ (ota)
  - Church Slavonic: -ота (-ota)
  - Bulgarian: -ота́ (-otá)
  - Macedonian: -ота (-ota)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: -о̀та
  
  Latin script: -òta
- Slovene: -óta, -ọ̑ta (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: -ota
  - Czech: -ota
- Old Polish: -ota
  - Polish: -ota
- Polabian: -ötă
- Slovak: -ota
- Slovincian: -ôta
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: -ota
  - Lower Sorbian: -ota

References

Stojanov and authors, Stojan (1983), “-отà”, in „Граматика на съвременния български книжовен език: Том 2. Морфология“ [Grammar of the Modern Bulgarian Literary Language: Volume 2. Morphology] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 63
Trubachyov, O., Zhuravlyov, A. F., editors (2005), “*orbota”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 32 (*obžьnъ – *orzbotati), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 121