Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bьčela

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

1. Sometimes explained as a deverbative of *bučati (“to make noise, roar”) and reconstructed as *bъčela. A bee is, therefore, the one that makes noise.

2. Alternatively from North-West Proto-Indo-European *bʰi-kʷe- (“bee, stinging insect”), an extension of root *bʰi- (“to hit, strike”) - compare *biti (“to beat, hit”).

The Psalterium Sinaiticum contains the only Old Church Slavonic instance of бьчела (bĭčela) but since the form бъчела (bŭčela) is just as rare, it is impossible to precisely reconstruct the late Proto-Slavic form of this word on the basis of Old Church Slavonic. Since this Proto-Slavic word was an oxytone, none of the descendant languages retain a reflex of the medial weak jer.

Baltic cognates (Latvian bite, Lithuanian bìtė, Old Prussian bitte) would in that case render the Proto-Balto-Slavic forms as *bikelē and *bitē.

3. The root of the abovementioned Proto-Balto-Slavic forms may in turn be a cognate of the roots in Old Irish bech (Irish beach), Old High German bīa, Old English bēo (English bee), Dutch bij, dialectal German Beie (German Biene), Old Norse bý (Danish bi). If so, the ultimate source is Proto-Indo-European *bʰey-.

Noun

*bьčelà f[1][2]

bee

Declension

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*bьčelà	*bьčèlě	*bьčelỳ
Accusative	*bьčelǫ̀	*bьčèlě	*bьčelỳ
Genitive	*bьčelỳ	*bьčelù	*bьčèlъ
Locative	*bьčelě̀	*bьčelù	bьčelàsъ, bьčelàxъ^*
Dative	*bьčelě̀	*bьčelàma	*bьčelàmъ
Instrumental	bьčelòjǫ, bьčèlǫ^**	*bьčelàma	*bьčelàmī
Vocative	*bьčelo	*bьčèlě	*bьčelỳ

^* -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).

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: бьчела (bĭčela), бъчела (bŭčela), бчела (bčela)
  - Belarusian: пчала́ (pčalá)
  - Russian: пчела́ (pčelá); бчела (bčela), мчела́ (mčelá), мцела́ (mcelá), бжела (bžela) (dialectal)
  - Old Ukrainian: бчола (bčola), бжола (bžola)
    - Rusyn: пчола (pčola)
    - Ukrainian: бджола́ (bdžolá), пчола́ (pčolá)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic: бьчела (bĭčela), бъчела (bŭčela)
  Glagolitic: ⰱⱐⱍⰵⰾⰰ (bĭčela), ⰱⱏⱍⰵⰾⰰ (bŭčela)
- Bulgarian: пчела́ (pčelá)
- Macedonian: пчела (pčela)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: пчѐла
  Latin: pčèla
  - Slavomolisano: čèla
- Slovene: čebẹ̑la, čəbẹ̑la (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: včela
  - Czech: včela
    - Bohemian (Chod dialect): včala, včela
- Kashubian: pszczoła, pczoła
- Polabian: celă
- Old Polish: pczeła, pczoła
  - Polish: pszczoła
    - Lesser Polish (Więciórka): pcou̯a
- Slovak: včela
- Slovincian: pščʉˋɵ̯lă
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: pcołka
  - Upper Sorbian: pčoła

References

Derksen, Rick (2008), “*bьčelà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 72: “f. ā (b) ‘bee’”
Olander, Thomas (2001), “bьčela bьčely”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b/c bee (PR 135)”

[1] Derksen, Rick (2008), “*bьčelà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 72: “f. ā (b) ‘bee’”

[2] Olander, Thomas (2001), “bьčela bьčely”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b/c bee (PR 135)”