< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-nikъ
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
Compound masculine suffix formed by the past participle ending *-nъ + *-ikъ. Forms appended to a- or ě-stems are obsolete. They are often resolved by duplicating *-nъ + *-ьnъ + *-ikъ: e.g. Bulgarian помазаник (pomazanik), избраник (izbranik) : Russian помазанник (pomazannik), избранник (izbrannik).
The form *-nikъ seems to be prevalent mainly in East and South Slavic. West Slavic uses instead *-nьcь (from *-nъ + *-ьcь), e.g. Polish pomazaniec, wybraniec.
Suffix
*-nikъ m
- From the deverbial noun stem of imperfect verbs, forms agents or objects related to the specified verb
- From athematic or simple thematic verbs:
- *dati (“to give”) → *podanikъ (“subject”)
- *jьzbьrati (“to select, to chose out of”) → *jьzbьranikъ (“chosen one”)
- *poznati (“to get familiar with”) → *poznajьnikъ (“acquaintance”)
- From je-theme verbs:
- *učati (“to study”) → *učenikъ (“student”)
- *mǫčati (“to struggle, to try hard”) → *mǫčenikъ (“martyr”)
- *mazati (“to smear, to anoint”) → *pomazanikъ (“anointed”) (mixed ā-/je-declension)
- From ā- and jā-theme verbs:
- *tupati (“to beat, to thump”) → *tupanikъ (“beat, stroke, scuffle”) (South Slavic)
- *sъmysľаti (“to think along with”) → *sъmyšľаnikъ (“associate, collaborator”) (South Slavic)
- From ě- and ě/i-theme verbs:
- *družěti (“to be in friendly relation”) → *družаnikъ (“comrade, fellow man”) (obsolete)
- *goděti (“to get engaged”) → *goděnikъ (“fiancé”) (South Slavic)
- From ī-theme verbs:
- *negoditi (“not to get along”) → *negodьnikъ (“scammer, crook”)
- *bez (“without”) + *roditi (“to give birth”) → *bezrodьnikъ (“stateless person”)
- From v-theme verbs:
- *sluti (“to express, to utter, to call oneself”) → *slovьje (“utterance”) → *slovьnikъ (“wordlist”) (archaic ev-declension)
- *čarovati (“to charm, to amaze”) → *čarovьnikъ (“charmer”) (denominal ova-declension)
- From athematic or simple thematic verbs:
Usage notes
- The suffix is (normally) not used with perfective verbs, e.g. those in *-nǫti.
- The derived deverbial nouns refer to agents or concepts who have undergone the verb. For agents, who perform the verb, the suffixes *-teľь, *-ačь, *-ařь, or other similar are used. For example, compare *sъpodvižеnikъ (“associate, one who moves along with you”) (obsolete) : *dvigateľь (“engine, one who sets in motion”) ← *dvigati (“to move, to lift”).
Declension
Declension of *-nikъ (hard o-stem)
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
---|---|---|---|
Nominative | *-nikъ | *-nika | *-nici |
Accusative | *-nikъ | *-nika | *-niky |
Genitive | *-nika | *-niku | *-nikъ |
Locative | *-nicě | *-niku | *-nicěxъ |
Dative | *-niku | *-nikoma | *-nikomъ |
Instrumental | *-nikъmь, *-nikomь* | *-nikoma | *-niky |
Vocative | *-niče | *-nika | *-nici |
* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.
Related terms
- *-ьnikъ
Derived terms
► <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Proto-Slavic_words_suffixed_with_*-nik%D1%8A' title='Category:Proto-Slavic words suffixed with *-nikъ'>Proto-Slavic words suffixed with *-nikъ</a>