Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/henki

This Proto-Finnic 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-Finnic

Etymology

Unknown. Has been compared with various words in other Uralic languages with mainly heat-related meanings (e.g. Erzya ченгемс (čengems, “to burn down; to thirst”), Udmurt ӝог (džog, “hot, drought”), Northern Mansi саӈк (saňk, “sweat”)), and UEW reconstructs a common root *čeŋke, but this is unlikely as initial *č would not regularly result in *h.

Noun

*henki

1. breath
2. soul, life force

Inflection

Inflection of *henki

Note: The Proto-Finnic declension system is yet to be reconstructed in detail. What is presented here is only one possibility.
		singular	plural
nominative		*henki	*henget
accusative		*hengen	*henget
genitive		*hengen	*henkeden *henkiden
partitive		*henkedä	*henkidä
inessive		*hengessä *hengehnä	*hengissä *hengihnä
elative		*hengestä	*hengistä
illative		*henkehen	*henkihen
adessive		*hengellä	*hengillä
ablative		*hengeltä	*hengiltä
allative		*henkelen *henkelek	*henkilen *henkilek
essive		*henkenä	*henkinä
translative		*hengeksi	*hengiksi
instructive		*hengen	*hengin
comitative		*henkenek	*henkinek
abessive		*hengettä	*hengittä

Descendants

• Estonian: hing
• Finnish: henki
• Ingrian: henki
• Karelian:
  • North Karelian: henki
  • South Karelian: hengi
• Livonian: jeng
• Livvi: hengi
• Ludian: heng
• Veps: heng
• Võro: heng', hing'
• Votic: entši
• → Proto-Samic: *(h)eaŋkë (see there for further descendants)

References

• “hing”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012
• Itkonen, Erkki, Kulonen, Ulla-Maija, editors (1992–2000), Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The origin of Finnish words]‎^[1] (in Finnish), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN