Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/sluga

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

Disputed:

• Zubatý, Brückner: Cognate with Lithuanian slaugà (“servitude, assistance”) (abstract noun) and probably Proto-Celtic *slougos (“troop, military regiment”); per Matasović, a collective deadjectival from an earlier Proto-Balto-Slavic *sláugas (“adherent?”) + *-a < perhaps Proto-Indo-European *slew- (“to proceed, to adhere to”). Favoured by Vasmer, Machek, Snoj. Some scholars (Mikkola, Šakhmatov) even consider an early borrowing from Celtic.
• Mladenov, Ondruš: Native formation from *sluti (“to call”) +‎ *-ga, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to listen”). Akin to Latin cliēns (“customer, companion”).

Noun

*slūgà m

1. servant, attendant

   Synonym: *prislužьnikъ

Usage notes

The word usually refers to a male servant, even though it is an ā-stem. The female equivalent is *slugyni < *sluga +‎ *-yni.

Declension

Declension of *slūgà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slūgà	*slũdzě	*slūgỳ
genitive	*slūgỳ	*slūgù	*slũgъ
dative	*slūdzě̀	*slūgàma	*slūgàmъ
accusative	*slūgǫ̀	*slũdzě	*slūgỳ
instrumental	*slūgòjǫ, *slũgǫ**	*slūgàma	*slūgàmī
locative	*slūdzě̀	*slūgù	*slūgàsъ, *slūgàxъ*
vocative	*slugo	*slũdzě	*slūgỳ

^* -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

• *slugyni f
• *služiti (“to serve”) (causative), *slugovati (“to serve”) (factitive)
  • *služenьje, *služьba (“service”)
• *posluga (“help, assistance”)
• *prisluga (“service force (collectively)”)
• *usluga (“favour, service”)
• *zasluga (“merit”)

Related terms

• *slověninъ (“Slav”) (per Brückner)
• *sluzь (“slime”), *sluda/*sludy (“moulding”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: слꙋга (sluga)
    • Belarusian: слуга́ (sluhá)
    • Russian: слуга́ (slugá)
    • Ukrainian: слуга́ (sluhá)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: слоуга (sluga)

    Glagolitic script: ⱄⰾⱆⰳⰰ (sluga)

  • Bulgarian: слуга́ (slugá)
  • Macedonian: слуга (sluga)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: слу́га

    Latin script: slúga

  • Slovene: slúga
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: slúha
    • Czech: sluha
  • Polish: sługa
  • Slovak: sluha

• → Hungarian: szolga
• → Romanian: slugă
• →⇒? Proto-Finnic: *sulhainën (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “слуга”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Todorov, T. A., Racheva, M., editors (2010), “слуга”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 7 (слòво – теря̀свам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 117
• “slauga”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012