Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/otьcь

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

Most probably an early agent noun from native *otъ (“father”) +‎ *-ьcь.

Noun

*otь̀cь m

1. father, patriarch

Usage notes

Following the Christianization of Early Slavs, in many languages the reflexes of *otьcь became calques of Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs, “spiritual father”), Latin pāpa (“id.”) (whence Proto-Slavic *popъ (“priest”)) and are used as an appellation to ecclesiastical figures (priests, clerics, bishops, etc.).

Declension

Declension of *otь̀cь (soft o-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*otь̀cь	*otьcà	*otьcì
genitive	*otьcà	*otьcù	*otь̀cь
dative	*otьcù	*otьcèma	*otь̀cemъ
accusative	*otь̀cь	*otьcà	*otьcę̇̀
instrumental	*otьcь̀mь, *otьcèmь*	*otьcèma	*otь̀ci
locative	*otьcì	*otьcù	*otь̀cixъ
vocative	*otьče	*otьcà	*otьcì

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

Alternative forms

• *otьkъ (prior to third palatalization, attested in Northern Russian dialects)

Derived terms

• *otьčę (diminutive, reanalyzed under the influence of the voc. *otьče)
• *otьčimъ (“fatherly figure”)
• *otьčь, *otьcevъ (“paternal”)
• *otьčьnъ (“fatherly”)
  • *otьčina (“paternal household”)
• *otьčьskъ (“patriotic”)
• *otьčьstvo (“fatherland”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: отьць (otĭcĭ), отець (otecĭ), отецъ (otecŭ)
    • Belarusian: аце́ц (acjéc)
    • Russian: оте́ц (otéc)
    • Carpathian Rusyn: оте́ць (otécʹ)
    • Ukrainian: оте́ць (otécʹ), (dialectal) оти́ць (otýcʹ), воти́ц (votýc), вуте́ц (vutéc), віте́ц (vitéc)
  • Old Novgorodian: *отьке (*otĭke)
    • Russian: отёк (otjók) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: отьць (otĭcĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⱁⱅⱐⱌⱐ (otĭcĭ)

  • Bulgarian: оте́ц (otéc)
  • Macedonian: отец (otec)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: о̀тац

    Latin script: òtac

  • Slovene: ótec (tonal orthography) (formal)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: otec
    • Czech: otec
  • Old Polish: ociec
    • Polish: ojciec, otciec, occiec, hojciec, otciec, hociec (Middle Polish), ociec (obsolete or dialectal), wociec (Western Lublin, Chmielnik)
    • Silesian: ôjciec
  • Old Slovak: otec
    • Pannonian Rusyn: оцец (ocec)
    • Slovak: otec, (dialectal) oťec
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: òjc
    • Slovincian: wôjc
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: wóśc
    • Upper Sorbian: wótc, wóćec

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Romanian: oteț

See also

Proto-Slavic family terms

*sěmьja, *rodina (“family”)	Male	Female
parent	*otъ, *otьcь (“father”) nursery: *tata	*mati (“mother”) nursery: *mama
sibling	*bratrъ (“brother”)	*sestra (“sister”)
child	*synъ (“son”)	*dъťi (“daughter”)
grandparent	– (“grandfather”) nursery: *dědъ; *nana	*ova (“grandmother”) nursery: *baba; *nena
grandchild	*vъnukъ (“grandson”)	*vъnuka (“granddaughter”)
stepparent	*otьčimъ (“stepfather”)	*maťexa (“stepmother”)
stepchild	*pastorъkъ (“stepson”)	*pastorъka (“stepdaughter”)
father's sibling	*strъjь (“paternal uncle”) nursery: *dada; *lola	– (“paternal aunt”) nursery: *teta; *lelja
mother's sibling	*ujь (“maternal uncle”) nursery: *dada; *lola	– (“maternal aunt”) nursery: *teta; *lelja
sibling's child	*netьjь (“nephew”)	*nestera (“niece”)
spouse	*mǫžь (“husband”)	*žena (“wife”)
parent of wife	*tьstь (“father-in-law (wife's father)”)	*tьšča (“mother-in-law (wife's mother)”)
parent of husband	*svekrъ (“father-in-law (husband's father)”)	*svekry (“mother-in-law (husband's father)”)
sibling of wife	*šurь (“brother-in-law (wife's brother)”)	*svěstь, *svьstь (“sister-in-law (wife's sister)”)
sibling of husband	*děverь (“brother-in-law (husband's brother)”)	*zъly (“sister-in-law (husband's sister)”)
spouse of child	*zętь (“son-in-law (daughter's husband)”)	*snъxa (“daughter-in-law (son's wife)”)
spouse of husband's brother	–	*ętry (“sister-in-law (husband's brother's wife)”)

Further reading

• Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2014), “*otьcь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 39 (*otъtęti – *ozgǫba), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 168
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “отец”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999), “отец”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 610
• Šanskij, N. M. (2004), “отец”, in Školʹnyj etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka [School Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Drofa
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “отец”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 960