Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/buga

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

• *bǫga (possibly)

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *baugāˀ, of disputed origin:

• Vasmer, Georgiev: From Proto-Indo-European *bʰewgʰ- (“to curve, to bow”). Cognate with Latvian bauga (“marshy riverside, damp soil”) and akin to Proto-Celtic *buggos (“soft”) whence Irish bogach (“boggy ground”), English bog.
• W. Osten-Sacken: Reflecting an underlying *bǫga, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeng- (“to breach, to split”), perhaps a nasalized biform of *bʰeg- (“to break”). Cognate with Lithuanian bangà (“wave, billow”), Latvian buoga (“cleansed area within a field”), possibly further akin to Proto-Germanic *bankô (“enbankment, shore”), Sanskrit भङ्ग (bhaṅgá, “breach, fold, ripple”). Usually met with scepticism by other Slavists, but note nonetheless regional Russian бу́жать (búžatʹ, “to dig sand/clay from a riverbank”) - per Vasmer, likely a derivative of descendant Russian бу́га (búga).

Unclear if related to either of Old Church Slavonic боугъ (bugŭ, “armband”), dial. Bulgarian бу́гла (búgla, “wedding pendant”) (seemingly cognate with Proto-Germanic *baugaz (“bracelet, badge”)); Russian буго́р (bugór, “hillock; strong wirlwind”); or hydronym *Bugъ, whence Western Bug, Southern Bug.

Noun

*buga f

1. low riverbank
2. wetland, slough, marsh (per Georgiev (BER): originally sharp riparian bend where water subsides after flood)

   Synonyms: *molka, *močurъ, *glibъ

   → drenching, grime, mold (in Macedonian, Serbian)

   → ooze, mudge, soft silt (in Russian)

Declension

Declension of *buga (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*buga	*budzě	*bugy
genitive	*bugy	*bugu	*bugъ
dative	*budzě	*bugama	*bugamъ
accusative	*bugǫ	*budzě	*bugy
instrumental	*bugojǫ, *bugǫ**	*bugama	*bugami
locative	*budzě	*bugu	*bugasъ, *bugaxъ*
vocative	*bugo	*budzě	*bugy

^* -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

• *bužati (probably)
• *bugavъ (“oozy, silty”)
• *bugajъ, *buganь (“heather grass/shrub”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: бу́га (búga) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: бу́га (búga) (regional, mainly in Western dialects)
  • Macedonian: буга (buga, “drench, mold”) (dialectal)
  • Serbian: бу̀га, possibly бу̏ђа (“mold, damp, dew”) (dialectal, merged with the reflex of Ottoman Turkish بوگه (büğe))

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “буга”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “бужать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*buga”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 78
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “буга”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 86
• “banga”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012