Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vьlkъ

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

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *wilkás, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.

Noun

*vь̑lkъ m

1. wolf

Declension

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*vь̑lkъ	*vь̑lka	*vь̑lci
genitive	*vь̑lka	*vьlkù	*vь̃lkъ
dative	*vь̑lku	*vьlkomà	*vьlkòmъ
accusative	*vь̑lkъ	*vь̑lka	*vь̑lky
instrumental	*vь̑lkъmь, *vь̑lkomь*	*vьlkomà	*vьlký
locative	*vь̑lcě	*vьlkù	*vьlcě̃xъ
vocative	*vьlče	*vь̑lka	*vь̑lci

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

Derived terms

• *vьlkolakъ (“werewolf”)
• *vьlčę̀ (“wolf cub”)
• *vьlčìna (“wolf meat and skin”)
• *vьlčiťь (“a small wolf”)
• *vьlčьjь (“lupine”)

Related terms

• *vьlčìca (“she-wolf”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: вълкъ (vŭlkŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: вовкъ (vovk), волкъ (volk)
      • Belarusian: воўк (voŭk)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: вовк (vovk)
      • Ukrainian: вовк (vovk); вівк (vivk) (dialectal)
      • → Pannonian Rusyn: вовк (vovk)
    • Russian: волк (volk)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: влькъ (vlĭkŭ)

    Glagolitic: ⰲⰾⱐⰽⱏ (vlĭkŭ)

  • Bulgarian: вълк (vǎlk), влък (vlǎk) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: волк (volk)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ву̑к

    Latin script: vȗk

    • Slavomolisano: vuk
  • Slovene: vȏłk (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: vlk
    • Czech: vlk
      • Bohemian (Chod dialect): vlk
      • Moravian (Mistřice): vlk
  • Kashubian: wôłk, wéłk, wełk
  • Polabian: våuk
  • Polish: wilk
  • Slovak: vlk
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: wjelk
    • Lower Sorbian: wjelk

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “волк”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress