< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/śěrъ
 | 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
Related to Proto-Slavic *śědъ (“dim, gray”), but beyond that of uncertain origin. Possible etymologies include:
- Per Vaillant, Trubachev, Derksen: From pre-Slavic *xoirъ, continuing Proto-Indo-European *sḱoHy-rós, from *(s)ḱeh₃y- (“to shade”) or less likely *(s)ḱeh₁y- (“to shimmer”). Morphologically equivalent to *śě- + *-rъ. Cognates include Proto-Celtic *keiros (> Middle Irish cíar (“dark-brown”)), Proto-Germanic *hairaz (> Old Norse hárr (“gray-haired”), Old English hār (“gray, gray-haired”)). Compare also Ancient Greek κιρρός (kirrhós).
- ?: Less likely West Slavic are from an earlier *sjěrъ, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱyeh₁-rós, from *(s)ḱeyh₁- (“to shimmer”). Compare Lithuanian šėmas (< *ḱyeh₁-mó-).
- Per Snoj: From *ksey-, akin to Persian شید (“bright”).
- Per Meillet, Pedersen, Shakhmatov, Kroonen: A borrowing from Proto-Germanic *hairaz.[1]
Adjective
*śěrъ[2]
- gray
Alternative forms
- *xěrъ[3][4] (pre second palatization)
Declension
Indefinite declension of *śěrъ (hard)
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | *śěrъ | *śěra | *śěro |
| Accusative | *śěrъ | *śěrǫ | *śěro |
| Genitive | *śěra | *śěry | *śěra |
| Locative | *śěrě | *śěrě | *śěrě |
| Dative | *śěru | *śěrě | *śěru |
| Instrumental | *śěromь | *śěrojǫ | *śěromь |
| Vocative | *śěre | *śěro | *śěro |
| Dual | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | *śěra | *śěrě | *śěrě |
| Accusative | *śěra | *śěrě | *śěrě |
| Genitive | *śěru | *śěru | *śěru |
| Locative | *śěru | *śěru | *śěru |
| Dative | *śěroma | *śěrama | *śěroma |
| Instrumental | *śěroma | *śěrama | *śěroma |
| Vocative | *śěra | *śěrě | *śěrě |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | *śěri | *śěry | *śěra |
| Accusative | *śěry | *śěry | *śěra |
| Genitive | *śěrъ | *śěrъ | *śěrъ |
| Locative | *śěrěxъ | *śěraxъ | *śěrěxъ |
| Dative | *śěromъ | *śěramъ | *śěromъ |
| Instrumental | *śěry | *śěrami | *śěry |
| Vocative | *śěri | *śěry | *śěra |
Definite declension of *śěrъ (hard)
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | *śěrъjь | *śěraja | *śěroje |
| Accusative | *śěrъjь | *śěrǫjǫ | *śěroje |
| Genitive | *śěrajego | *śěryję | *śěrajego |
| Locative | *śěrějemь | *śěrěji | *śěrějemь |
| Dative | *śěrujemu | *śěrěji | *śěrujemu |
| Instrumental | *śěryjimi | *śěrǫjǫ | *śěryjimi |
| Vocative | *śěrъjь | *śěraja | *śěroje |
| Dual | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | *śěraja | *śěrěji | *śěrěji |
| Accusative | *śěraja | *śěrěji | *śěrěji |
| Genitive | *śěruju | *śěruju | *śěruju |
| Locative | *śěruju | *śěruju | *śěruju |
| Dative | *śěryjima | *śěryjima | *śěryjima |
| Instrumental | *śěryjima | *śěryjima | *śěryjima |
| Vocative | *śěraja | *śěrěji | *śěrěji |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | *śěriji | *śěryję | *śěraja |
| Accusative | *śěryję | *śěryję | *śěraja |
| Genitive | *śěrъjixъ | *śěrъjixъ | *śěrъjixъ |
| Locative | *śěryjixъ | *śěryjixъ | *śěryjixъ |
| Dative | *śěryjimъ | *śěryjimъ | *śěryjimъ |
| Instrumental | *śěryjimi | *śěryjimi | *śěryjimi |
| Vocative | *śěriji | *śěryję | *śěraja |
See also
| *bělъ (of animals) *bronъ | *sivъ, *śěrъ, *śědъ | *čьrnъ, *smaglъ/*smǫglъ (of animals) *vornъ, *galъ |
| *čьrvenъ, *ryďь, *ruměnъ | *rudъ, *granivъ; *smědъ, (of animals) *gnědъ | *žьltъ (of animals) *solvъ; *polvъ |
| *zelenъ | *zelenъ, *grěnъ | |
| *polvъ | *siňь; *modrъ | |
| *slivъ | *bagrъ |
Related terms
- *śědъ
- *sivъ (“gray”) (possibly)
Descendants
- East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: сѣръ (sěrŭ), сѣрꙑи (sěryj)
- Old Ruthenian: сѣ́рый (sě́ryj)
- Belarusian: се́ры (sjéry) (dialectal)
- Ukrainian: сі́рий (síryj)
- Russian: се́рый (séryj)
- Old Ruthenian: сѣ́рый (sě́ryj)
- Old Novgorodian: хѣрь (xěrĭ)
- Old East Slavic: сѣръ (sěrŭ), сѣрꙑи (sěryj)
- South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: сѣръ (sěrŭ), possibly хѣръ (xěrŭ) (name of letter Х in the Old Cyrillic script)
- Bulgarian: сяр (sjar), dial. сер (ser)
- Macedonian:
- Slovene: sẹ̑r (tonal orthography) (archaic)
- West Slavic:
- Old Czech: šěrý
- Czech: šerý
- Kashubian: szari
- Old Polish: szary
- Polish: szary
- →? Belarusian: шэ́ры (šéry)
- Slovak: šerý
- Sorbian:
- Upper Sorbian: šěry
- Lower Sorbian: šery
- Old Czech: šěrý
Further reading
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “серый”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), transl. and suppl. by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
- Chernykh, P. (1993), “серый”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 2 (панцирь – ящур), 3rd edition, Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 158
- Todorov T., editor (2010), “сяр (сѣръ)”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 7, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 725
References
- Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*haira-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 201
- Derksen, Rick (2008), “*śěrъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 447: “adj. o ‘grey’”
- Olander, Thomas (2001), “xěrъ xěra xěro”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a? grå (PR 133)”
- Snoj, Marko (2016), “ser”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar3 (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “*xě̑rъ”