Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/topolь

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

*topolь

Etymology

Likely akin to Lithuanian túopa (“poplar”), but beyond that unknown. Possibly related in some manner to Latin pōpulus (“poplar”) (whence German Pappel, Latvian papele). A direct borrowing from Vulgar Latin is usually dismissed, because Eastern Romance languages reflect instead an alternative form *ploppus → Romanian plop, Albanian plep.

Per Walde-Hoffmann, perhaps further akin to Ancient Greek πτελέη (pteléē, “elm”), ultimately from reduplication and subsequent dissimilation *p - p- → *t - p- of Proto-Indo-European *pelH- (“pale, gray”).

Noun

*tȍpolь m

1. poplar (genus of trees in family Salicaceae)

Alternative forms

• *topólъ m (o-stem)
• *topoľa f (ja-stem)
• *topola f (a-stem)

Usage notes

The word may refer to both Populus nigra (when necessary, specified as *čьrnъ topolь) and Populus alba (*bělъ topolь). Some daughter languages additionally bear a separate term *agnędь specifically for Populus nigra.

Inflection

Declension of *topolь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*topolь	*topoli	*topolьje, *topoľe*
genitive	*topoli	*topolьju, *topoľu*	*topolьjь, *topoli*
dative	*topoli	*topolьma	*topolьmъ
accusative	*topolь	*topoli	*topoli
instrumental	*topolьmь	*topolьma	*topolьmi
locative	*topoli	*topolьju, *topoľu*	*topolьxъ
vocative	*topoli	*topoli	*topolьje, *topoľe*

^* 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).

See also

• *osa (“aspen”)
  • ⇒ *osika, *osina (variants)
• *trepetьlika (“trembling poplar”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: тополь (topolĭ)
    • Belarusian: тапо́ля (tapólja), то́паль (tópalʹ)
    • Russian: то́поль (tópolʹ)
    • Ukrainian: топо́ля (topólja)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: тополь (topolĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⱅⱁⱂⱁⰾⱐ (topolĭ)

  • Bulgarian: топо́ла (topóla)
  • Macedonian: топола (topola)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: топо̀ла

    Latin script: topòla

  • Slovene: topol m, topola f
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: topol
    • Czech: topol
  • Old Polish: topola
    • Polish: topola
  • Slovak: topoľ
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: topoł
    • Upper Sorbian: topoł

Toponyms:

• Bulgarian: Топола (Topola, “a village at the northern coast of Bulgaria”)
• ⇒ Macedonian: Тополовиќ (Topoloviḱ, “a village in Macedonia”)
• ⇒ Byzantine Greek: Τοπολοβίκος (Topolobíkos, “a beck south of Αγία Βαρβάρα (Agía Varvára)”)
• Czech: Topol (“a part of the town of Chrudim in Czechia”)
• Slovak: Topoľčany (“town in the west of Slovakia”) local settlers got the name *Topoľčane – "those who live between poplars"
• Ukrainian: Тополя (Topolja) / Slovak: Topoľa (“a village in the far east of Slovakia”)
• Ukrainian: Тополя (Topolja, “two villages in the north of Ukraine”)

🖝 See Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia on “Topolje” for many more in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia.
🖝 See Polish Wikipedia on “Topola” for many places of this name in Poland.

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “тополь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• “tuopa”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012