Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/polъ

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 1

Probably from Proto-Balto-Slavic, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pelH- (“to chop, to separate”). Compare Proto-Slavic *polъka, *polica (“shelf, file”); see Lithuanian spãlis (“flax boon; October”) for more potential cognates.

Noun

*pólъ m

1. side, flank

   *na onomь polu ― on [the] yonder side

2. half

   *orzděľati polъma ― to divide in two

3. member of a pair of options → gender, sex

Inflection

Declension of *polъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*polъ	*pòla	*pòli
genitive	*pòla	*pòlu	*pòlъ
dative	*pòlu	*pòloma	*pòlomъ
accusative	*polъ	*pòla	*pòly
instrumental	*pòlъmь, *pòlomь*	*pòloma	*pòlȳ
locative	*pòlě	*pòlu	*pòlě̄xъ
vocative	*pòle	*pòla	*pòli

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Secondarily:

Declension of *polъ (u-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*polъ	*poly	*polove
genitive	*polu	*polovu	*polovъ
dative	*polovi	*polъma	*polъmъ
accusative	*polъ	*poly	*poly
instrumental	*polъmь	*polъma	*polъmi
locative	*polu	*polovu	*polъxъ
vocative	*polu	*poly	*polove

Derived terms

• *pola (“moiety”)
• *polovъ (“halved”)
  • *poloviti (“to behalf”)
  • *polova, *polovina (“half”) (quantity)
• *polъ-, *polu- (“half-, semi-, mid-”)
  • *polъtora (“one and a half”)
  • *poludьnь, *polъdьne, *poldьnь (“midday”)
  • *polъnoťь, *polunoťь (“midnight”)
  • *polugodьje, *polъročьje (“half-year”)
• *polěno

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: полъ (polŭ)
    • Belarusian: пол (pol)
    • Russian: пол (pol)
    • Ukrainian: пів (piv)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:
    • Old Cyrillic script: полъ (polŭ)
    • Glagolitic script: ⱂⱁⰾⱏ (polŭ)
  • Bulgarian: пол (pol)
  • Macedonian: пол (pol)
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    • Cyrillic script: по̑л, по̑
    • Latin script: pȏl, pȏ
  • Slovene: ро̑l
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: pól
    • Czech: půl
  • Old Polish: pół, puł
    • Polish: pół
    • Silesian: pōł
  • Slovak: роl
  • Polabian: pöl
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: pół
    • Slovincian: pól
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: poł
    • Lower Sorbian: pół

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “пол”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Duridanov, I. V., Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (1996), “пол¹ (gender), пол² (half)”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 5 (падѐж – пỳска), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 489

Etymology 2

Either identical with Etymology 1 or from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to cover, to span, to fold”), *pleh₂- (“to flatten”).

Noun

*pólъ m

1. expanse, extent, plane
2. (by specialization) floor

   Synonym: *podъ

Inflection

Declension of *pȍlъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*pȍlъ	*pȍla	*pȍli
genitive	*pȍla	*polù	*pòlъ
dative	*pȍlu	*polomà	*polòmъ
accusative	*pȍlъ	*pȍla	*pȍly
instrumental	*pȍlъmь, *pȍlomь*	*polomà	*polý
locative	*pȍlě	*polù	*polě̃xъ
vocative	*pole	*pȍla	*pȍli

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

• *polovica (“stretch, strip”)

Related terms

• *polti (“to fold, to twine”)
• *pelena (“nappy”)
• *plěna (“membrane”)
• *polsa (“strip”)
• *poľe (“field”)
• *polnina (“mountain”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: пол (pol)
  • Russian: пол (pol)
  • Ukrainian: пол (pol)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: поли́ pl (polí, “fells, slopes (of mountain)”)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “пол”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Duridanov, I. V., Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (1996), “пола”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 5 (падѐж – пỳска), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 491