Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dętelъ

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Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dętelъ

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

Disputed:

• Machek, Trubačev, Derksen, Snoj (dominant view): From *dьlbti, *dьlbati (“to delve, to carve”) +‎ *-telъ (o-stem variant of *-teľь), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelbʰ- (“to dig, excavate”). Akin to dialectal *dьlbačь (attested in Bulgarian and Ukrainian). Nasalization due to presummed dissimilation l-T-l > n-T-l.
• Mladenov: From Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”) + *-telъ (cf. Ancient Greek δήξ (dḗx, “woodworm”)) with inherited nasalization, but with no other descendants from the reconstructed root within Balto-Slavic.

Noun

*dę̀telъ m[1][2]

1. woodpecker

   Synonyms: *dьlbačь, *kьlvačь, *žьlna

Alternative forms

• *dętьlъ
• *dětelъ (Serbian) (probably reanalyzed)

Declension

Declension of *dętelъ (hard o-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*dętelъ	*dętela	*dęteli
Accusative	*dętelъ	*dętela	*dętely
Genitive	*dętela	*dętelu	*dętelъ
Locative	*dętelě	*dętelu	*dętelěxъ
Dative	*dętelu	*dęteloma	*dętelomъ
Instrumental	*dętelъmь, *dętelomь*	*dęteloma	*dętely
Vocative	*dętele	*dętela	*dęteli

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

Derived terms

• *dętelina (“clover (Trifolium)”)

Related terms

• *delto (“chisel”)
• *dolto (“chisel”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: дзя́цел (dzjácjel)
  • Russian: дя́тел (djátel)
  • Ukrainian: дя́тел (djátel)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: дѧтелъ (dętelŭ)
  • Bulgarian: де́тел (détel), де́тло n (détlo) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: детел (detel)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: дјетао

    Latin: djetao

  • Slovene: dẹ́təł (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: dětel
    • Czech: datel
  • Polish: dzięcioł
  • Slovak: ďateľ

References

1. Derksen, Rick (2008), “*dętelъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 107: “m. o ‘woodpecker’”
2. Snoj, Marko (2016), “detel”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar³ (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *dę̋tьlъ, prvotnejše morda *dę̋telъ”

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dętelъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 27
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “дя́тел”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev V. I., editor (1971), “детел”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 349