Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xlěbъ

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

Borrowed from a Germanic language, probably Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃 (hlaifs) (Proto-Germanic *hlaibaz) which has the root final 𐍆 (f) (phonetically probably [ɸ]) in the nominative, vocative, and accusative singular and 𐌱 (b) (phonetically probably [β]) in the oblique case forms. The fricative was replaced by the labial stop *b since Proto-Slavic did not have labial fricatives. Alternatively it may be from Old High German hleib.

Noun

*xlě̀bъ m

1. bread

Declension

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*xlě̀bъ	*xlě̀ba	*xlě̀bi
genitive	*xlě̀ba	*xlě̀bu	*xlě̀bъ
dative	*xlě̀bu	*xlě̀boma	*xlě̀bomъ
accusative	*xlě̀bъ	*xlě̀ba	*xlě̀by
instrumental	*xlě̀bъmь, *xlě̀bomь*	*xlě̀boma	*xlě̀bȳ
locative	*xlě̀bě	*xlě̀bu	*xlě̀bě̄xъ
vocative	*xlě̀be	*xlě̀ba	*xlě̀bi

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

Usage notes

Scholars do not agree whether *xlě̀bъ originally referred to leavened or unleavened bread.^{[who exactly?]}

Derived terms

• *xlě̀bovъ
  • *xlě̀bovina
  • *xlě̀bovьje
• *xlě̀bьcь
• *xlě̀bьnъ
  • *xlě̀bьnica
  • *xlě̀bьnikъ

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: хлѣбъ (xlěbŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: хлѣбъ (xlěb), клѣбъ (klěb)
      • Belarusian: хлеб (xljeb)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: хлїб (xljib)
      • Ukrainian: хліб (xlib)
    • Russian: хлеб (xleb) (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Novgorodian: хлѣбе (xlěbe)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Glagolitic script: ⱈⰾⱑⰱⱏ (xlěbŭ)

    Old Cyrillic script: хлѣбъ (xlěbŭ)

    • Bulgarian: хляб (hljab); хл'ап (hl'ap), леп (lep) (dialectal)
    • Macedonian: леб (leb)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: хле̏б, хље̏б; хли̏б, хи̑б, ли̏п, ле̏п, хје̏б, хје̏п (dialectal)

    Latin script: hlȅb, hljȅb; hlȉb, hȋb, lȉp, lȅp, hjȅb, hjȅp (dialectal)

  • Slovene: hlẹ̑b, hlȅb (“loaf”) (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: chléb, chleba
  • Kashubian: chléb
  • Polish: chleb
    • → English: chleb
  • Silesian: chlyb
  • Old Slovak: chléb, chliab, chlib, chlieb
    • Pannonian Rusyn: хлєб (xljeb)
    • Slovak: chlieb
  • Slovincian: chléb
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: klěb; chlěb (archaic)
    • Upper Sorbian: chlěb, khlěb

References

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1981), “*xlěbъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 8 (*xa – *jьvьlga), Moscow: Nauka, page 27
• Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia E. (2013) The Germanic loanwords in Proto-Slavic‎^[1], Amsterdam - New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 83f
• Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, volume 4, page 219
• Kiparsky, V. (1934), Die gemeinslavischen Lehnwörter aus dem Germanischen, Helsinki, p. 199