Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vorbь

< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vorbь

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

Either of onomatopoeic origin from the same root as Proto-Slavic *verva (“fuss, noise”), *verskъ (“scream”) or probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)werbʰ- (“to peck, to scratch”), akin to Lithuanian žvìrblis (“sparrow”) , Latvian zvirbulis (“sparrow”), virblis (“eagle”) (dialectal). If correct, the Baltic forms would reflect the s-mobile form of the root.

Noun

*võrbь m

1. sparrow

Declension

Declension of *võrbь (i-stem, accent paradigm b)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*võrbь	*vōrbì	*võrbьjē, *võrbľē*
Accusative	*võrbь	*vōrbì	*vōrbì
Genitive	*võrbi	*võrbьju, *vorbľu*	*vōrbь̀jь, *võrbi*
Locative	*võrbi	*võrbьju, *vorbľu*	*vōrbь̀xъ
Dative	*vōrbì	*võrbьma	*vōrbь̀mъ
Instrumental	*vōrbь̀mь	*võrbьma	*võrbьmī
Vocative	*vorbi	*vōrbì	*võrbьjē, *võrbľē*

^* 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).

Derived terms

• *vorbьjь[1][2]
• *vorbьľь
• *vorbьcь[1], *vorbokъ, *vorbьčę (diminutive)

Related terms

• *svorbъ (“itch”)
• *rębъ (“speckled, spotted”)
  • *arębъ (“partridge”)

Descendants

The primary i-stem is attested only indirectly, e.g. in Ukrainian вороб'я́ pl (vorobʺjá) (dialectal) and in loanwords:

• East Slavic:
  • Old Ukrainian: воробѧ́ n (vorobjá, “sparrow”)[3] (< *võrbь + *-ę)
    • Ukrainian: гороб'я́ n (horobʺjá); вороб'я́ n (vorobʺjá) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: wrobl

• → Romanian: vrabie
• → Hungarian: veréb

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “воробей”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
• горобець in Горох.ua (Етимологія)
• Georgiev V. I., editor (1971), “врабче”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 178

References

1. Snoj, Marko (2016), “vrábec”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar³ (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *vorbьcь̏, *vorbьjь̏”
2. Olander, Thomas (2001), “vorbьjь”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b spurv (PR 134)”
3. Hrynchyshyn, D. H., editor (1997), “воробѧ”, in Словник української мови XVI – I пол. XVII ст. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: 16ᵗʰ – 1ˢᵗ half of 17ᵗʰ c.] (in Ukrainian), issue 4 (весь – вправѣ), Lviv: Krypiakevych I.U.S., →ISBN, page 231