Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mělь

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-Balto-Slavic *(s)mēl-i-. Cognate with Lithuanian smė̃lis (“sand”), smėlỹs (“sand”), Latvian smēlis (“fine sand”), Old Norse melr (“sandbank”) (dialectal), Swedish smula (“chunk”) (dialectal). Related to *mělъkъ (“small, shallow”). Likely related to *melti (“to grind, mill”).

Noun

*mělь f[1][2]

finely ground substance
chalk
sandbank

Usage notes

Apparently by Late Common Slavic times the two variants had started to diverge in meaning, with the feminine i-stem variant meaning "sand, sandbank" while the masculine o-stem variant meant "chalk, powder".

Declension

Declension of *mě̑lь (i-stem, accent paradigm c)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*mě̑lь	*mě̑li	*mě̑li
Accusative	*mě̑lь	*mě̑li	*mě̑li
Genitive	*mělí	mělьjù, měľu^*	*mělь̀jь
Locative	*mělí	mělьjù, měľu^*	*mě̑lьxъ
Dative	*mě̑li	*mělьmà	*mě̑lьmъ
Instrumental	*mělьjǫ́	*mělьmà	*mělьmì
Vocative	*měli	*mě̑li	*mě̑li

^* 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).

Alternative forms

*mělъ m

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: мѣлъ (mělŭ)
  - Belarusian: мел (mjel)
  - Russian: мель f (melʹ), мел m (mel)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Cyrillic: мѣлъ m (mělŭ)
- Old Serbo-Croatian: мѣль f
  - Chakavian: mẽlj m, mél m
- Slovene: mẹ̑lj m (tonal orthography), mẹ̑l f
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: měl m
  - Czech: měl f
- Old Polish: miel f, miał m
  - Polish: miał m, mieł m (dialectal)
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: měł, měłny

References

Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mělь; *mělъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 310: “f. i; m. o”
Olander, Thomas (2001), “mělъ”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “c kalk, mel (PR 137)”

[1] Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mělь; *mělъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 310: “f. i; m. o”

[2] Olander, Thomas (2001), “mělъ”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “c kalk, mel (PR 137)”