Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/malъ

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 *mṓˀlas, from a Proto-Indo-European root reconstructed either as *(s)meh₁l- (“small (animal)”) or as *(s)mel- (“false, evil”); Derksen implicitly favors the former. For the former root, compare Ancient Greek μῆλον (mêlon, “small cattle, sheep”), Old Irish míl (“(small) animal”), Old Norse smali (“small livestock, sheep”), Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”);^[1] for the latter, compare possibly Latin malus (“bad”).

Adjective

*màlъ (comparative *mьňьjь)^[1]^[2]^[3]

small, petite (of size)
little, short, brief (of quantity, duration)

Declension

Indefinite declension of *malъ (hard)
singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*malъ	*mala	*malo
genitive	*mala	*maly	*mala
dative	*malu	*malě	*malu
accusative	*malъ	*malǫ	*malo
instrumental	*malomь	*malojǫ	*malomь
locative	*malě	*malě	*malě
vocative	*male	*malo	*malo
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*mala	*malě	*malě
genitive	*malu	*malu	*malu
dative	*maloma	*malama	*maloma
accusative	*mala	*malě	*malě
instrumental	*maloma	*malama	*maloma
locative	*malu	*malu	*malu
vocative	*mala	*malě	*malě
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*mali	*maly	*mala
genitive	*malъ	*malъ	*malъ
dative	*malomъ	*malamъ	*malomъ
accusative	*maly	*maly	*mala
instrumental	*maly	*malami	*maly
locative	*malěxъ	*malaxъ	*malěxъ
vocative	*mali	*maly	*mala

Definite declension of *malъ (hard)
singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*malъjь	*malaja	*maloje
genitive	*malajego	*malyję̇	*malajego
dative	*malujemu	*malěji	*malujemu
accusative	*malъjь	*malǫjǫ	*maloje
instrumental	*malyjimь	*malǫjǫ	*malyjimь
locative	*malějemь	*malěji	*malějemь
vocative	*malъjь	*malaja	*maloje
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*malaja	*malěji	*malěji
genitive	*maluju	*maluju	*maluju
dative	*malyjima	*malyjima	*malyjima
accusative	*malaja	*malěji	*malěji
instrumental	*malyjima	*malyjima	*malyjima
locative	*maluju	*maluju	*maluju
vocative	*malaja	*malěji	*malěji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*maliji	*malyję̇	*malaja
genitive	*malъjixъ	*malъjixъ	*malъjixъ
dative	*malyjimъ	*malyjimъ	*malyjimъ
accusative	*malyję̇	*malyję̇	*malaja
instrumental	*malyjimi	*malyjimi	*malyjimi
locative	*malyjixъ	*malyjixъ	*malyjixъ
vocative	*maliji	*malyję̇	*malaja

Antonyms

*velь, *velikъ

Derived terms

Verbs

Agent nouns

Diminutive nouns

Abstract nouns

Secondary adjectives

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: малъ (malŭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: малы́й (malýj)
    - Belarusian: малы́ (malý)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: малы́й (malŷ́j)
    - Ukrainian: мали́й (malýj)
  - Russian: ма́лый (mályj), мало́й (malój)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: малъ (malŭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰿⰰⰾⱏ (malŭ)
- Bulgarian: мал (mal) (dialectal)
- Macedonian: мал (mal)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: ма̑л
  
  Latin: mȃl
- Slovene: mȃli (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: malý, małý (alternative writing)
  - Czech: malý
- Old Polish: mały
  - Polish: mały, mał (Middle Polish)
  - Silesian: mały
- Old Slovak: malý
  - Pannonian Rusyn: мали (mali)
  - Slovak: malý
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: môłi
  - Slovincian: moly
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: mały
  - Lower Sorbian: mały

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008), “*màlъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 300: “adj. o (a) ‘small, little’”
^ Olander, Thomas (2001), “malъ mala malo”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a (SA 107, 188; PR 133; MP 22)”
^ Snoj, Marko (2016), “mali”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *malъ̏ (določna oblika *málъjь)”