Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/brьvь

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

Apparently from dissimilation of earlier *brъvь, from ь-extension of *bry. Lexical division occurred in PIE.

Compare Old Norse brū (“bridge”), Gaulish brīva (“bridge”) (< *bʰrēwā), Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ (“bridge”) (> English bridge, Old Saxon bruggia, Old High German brucka)

Noun

*brьvь f

1. bridge, crossbar

Inflection

Declension of *brьvь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*brьvь	*brьvi	*brьvi
genitive	*brьvi	*brьvьju, *brьvľu*	*brьvьjь, *brьvi*
dative	*brьvi	*brьvьma	*brьvьmъ
accusative	*brьvь	*brьvi	*brьvi
instrumental	*brьvьjǫ, *brьvľǫ*	*brьvьma	*brьvьmi
locative	*brьvi	*brьvьju, *brьvľu*	*brьvьxъ
vocative	*brьvi	*brьvi	*brьvi

^* 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).

See also

• *bry (“eyebrow”)
• *mostъ (“bridge”)

Related terms

• *brьva

Derived terms

• *brьvьno (“beam”)

Descendants

• Church Slavonic: брьвь (brĭvĭ), бръвь (brŭvĭ), бервь (bervĭ) (Russian)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: брьвь (brĭvĭ), бръвь (brŭvĭ), бервь (bervĭ)
    • Ukrainian: бер (ber), берь (berʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: бръв (brǎv), брьвь (brʹvʹ)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бр̑в

    Latin script: bȓv

  • Slovene: bŕv
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: břev

References

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*brьvь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 71