Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ščelь

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

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cleave”). Akin to Proto-Germanic *skaljō (“shell”).

Noun

*ščelь f

1. fracture, crack, fissure
2. (by extension) fragment, shard, pebble

Inflection

Declension of *ščelь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ščelь	*ščeli	*ščeli
genitive	*ščeli	*ščelьju, *ščeľu*	*ščelьjь, *ščeli*
dative	*ščeli	*ščelьma	*ščelьmъ
accusative	*ščelь	*ščeli	*ščeli
instrumental	*ščelьjǫ, *ščeľǫ*	*ščelьma	*ščelьmi
locative	*ščeli	*ščelьju, *ščeľu*	*ščelьxъ
vocative	*ščeli	*ščeli	*ščeli

^* 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

• *ščeliti (“to open a fracture”)
• *ščelьka (diminutive)
• *ščelina (“aperture”)
• *ščelьcь, *ščelьkunъ (“type of winged insect”)
• *ščelьnъ, *ščelevъ (relative adjective)
• *ščelistъ, *ščelęstъ (“cloven, cleft”)

Related terms

• *čeľustь (“jaw”) (in its first element)
• *ščelpъ (“lower jaw”)
• *skala (“rock, crag”)
• *skolьka (“shell, vesicle”)
• *oskolъkъ (“splinter”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: шчэ́ль (ščélʹ)
  • Russian: щель (ščelʹ)
  • Ukrainian: щіль (ščilʹ)

Further reading

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