Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ikъ

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

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *-eikas, from Proto-Indo-European *-eykos. Cognate with Latvian -ieks (< -eikas). The *-i in *-ikъ thus reflects the Proto-Indo-European diphthong *ey, which explains the lack of the third palatalization. Lithuanian -ykas reflects earlier -inīkas, and is not a cognate. Probably not related to Sanskrit -ईक (-īká) and Latin -icō.

Suffix

*-ikъ m

Denominal, forming diminutives.
*nožь (“knife”) → *nožikъ (“a small knife”)
*větrъ (“wind”) → *větrikъ (“breeze”)
*listъ (“leaf”) → *listikъ (“a small leaf”)
*bobъ (“broad bean”) → *bobikъ (“(a small) broad bean”)
Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of a property.
*zoltъ (“golden”) → *zoltikъ (“something golden”)
*porzdьnъ (“empty”) → *porzdьnikъ (“feast, holiday, festival”)
*moldъ (“young”) → *moldikъ (“something or somebody young”)
*malъ (“small”) → *malikъ (“something or somebody small”)

Declension

Declension of *-ikъ (hard o-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*-ikъ	*-ika	*-ici
Accusative	*-ikъ	*-ika	*-iky
Genitive	*-ika	*-iku	*-ikъ
Locative	*-icě	*-iku	*-icěxъ
Dative	*-iku	*-ikoma	*-ikomъ
Instrumental	-ikъmь, -ikomь^*	*-ikoma	*-iky
Vocative	*-iče	*-ika	*-ici

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

Usage notes

The diminutive function is productive in North Slavic. In South Slavic languages diminutive formations only exist in relics, mostly in Slovene.

Derived terms

*-nikъ (appended to the past participle of verbs in *-nъ)
*-ьnikъ (with *-ьn- element abstracted away from denominal derivations on *-ьnъ)

Related terms

*-ica (feminine counterpart)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -икъ (-ikŭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: -икъ (-ik)
    - Belarusian: -ік (-ik)
    - Ukrainian: -ик (-yk)
  - Russian: -ик (-ik)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic: -икъ (-ikŭ)
  Glagolitic: -ⰹⰽⱏ (-ikŭ)
- Bulgarian: -ик (-ik)
- Macedonian: -ик (-ik)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: -ик
  Latin: -ik
- Slovene: -ik
West Slavic:
- Czech: -ík
- Polish: -ik, -yk
- Slovak: -ík
- Slovincian: -ǐḱ
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: -ik

References

Šekli, Matej (2012), “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎ (in Slovene), volume 10, issue 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-ikъ”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: National Ossoliński Institute, page 90
J. Halla-aho (2006): "Nouns in */-k-o-/ " in Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology, University of Helsenki, p. 70