< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/zěnica
 | 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
The pupil is the central transparent area (showing as black).
Alternative forms
- *zěnьka, *zěnъka
Etymology
Substantivized participle **zěnъ + *-ica, from **zěti (“to gape”) (compare *zěvati).
Noun
*zěnica f
- (anatomy) pupil
Declension
Declension of *zěnica (soft a-stem)
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | *zěnica | *zěnici | *zěnicę̇ |
| Accusative | *zěnicǫ | *zěnici | *zěnicę̇ |
| Genitive | *zěnicę̇ | *zěnicu | *zěnicь |
| Locative | *zěnici | *zěnicu | *zěnicasъ, *zěnicaxъ* |
| Dative | *zěnici | *zěnicama | *zěnicamъ |
| Instrumental | *zěnicejǫ, *zěnicǫ** | *zěnicama | *zěnicami |
| Vocative | *zěnice | *zěnici | *zěnicę̇ |
* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
** 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).
** 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).
Related terms
- *zěvati (“to yawn”) (pres. *zěvajǫ)
- *zijati, *zьjati (“to open (one's mouth), gape, be wide open)”) (pres. *zějǫ)
- *zinǫti (“to open (one's mouth), gape”) (pres. *zinǫ)
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: зѣница (zěnica)
- Belarusian: зяні́ца (zjaníca), зрэ́нка (zrénka)
- Russian: зени́ца (zeníca), зе́ньки pl (zénʹki), зе́нки pl (zénki, “eyes”), зе́нко n (zénko, “glass in window”)
- Ukrainian: зіни́ця (zinýcja), зі́нка (zínka)
- Old East Slavic: зѣница (zěnica)
- South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
- Old Cyrillic: зѣница (zěnica)
- Glagolitic: ⰸⱑⱀⰹⱌⰰ (zěnica)
- Bulgarian: зени́ца (zeníca)
- Macedonian: зеница (zenica)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: зјѐница, зѐница
- Latin: zjènica, zènica
- Slovene: zeníca (tonal orthography)
- Old Church Slavonic:
- West Slavic:
- Czech: zenice
- Old Polish: źrzenica
- Polish: źrenica (influenced by *zьrěti (“to see, look at”))
- Slovak: zrenica
References
- Derksen, Rick (2008) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 542
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “зеница”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
- Chernykh, P. (1993), “зеница”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 1 (а – пантомима), 3rd edition, Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 324