Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ьce

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

Reflects Proto-Indo-European *-ikóm, a neutral counter-part to Proto-Slavic *-ьcь m, Proto-Slavic *-ьca f.

Suffix

*-ьce n

1. Denominal, forms diminutives from neutral nouns.

   *moldę (“cub, baby”) → *moldętьce (“puppy, kitten, little one, etc.”)

   *město (“city, place, space, room”) → *městьce (“small town, tiny space/room”)

   *okъno (“window”) → *okъnьce (“small window”)

   *pero (“feather”) → *perьce (“plumule”)

   *nebo (“heaven”) → *nebьce (“palate”)

   *aje (“ovum, egg”) → *ajьce (“egg”)

2. Structural formant, without a base noun to synchronically derive from.

   *sьrdьce (“heart”)

   *sъlnьce (“sun”)

Usage notes

When appended to *-ę or *-mę stems, the nt-/n-stem clears out, e.g.:

*dětę (“child”) → *dětenьce (“small child”)

*znamę (“flag, token”) → *znamenьce (“small flag, token”)

Declension

Declension of *-ьce (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ьce	*-ьci	*-ьca
genitive	*-ьca	*-ьcu	*-ьcь
dative	*-ьcu	*-ьcema	*-ьcemъ
accusative	*-ьce	*-ьci	*-ьca
instrumental	*-ьcьmь, *-ьcemь*	*-ьcema	*-ьci
locative	*-ьci	*-ьcu	*-ьcixъ
vocative	*-ьce	*-ьci	*-ьca

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ьce

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -ице (-ice)
    • Belarusian: -ца (-ca), -цо (-co)
    • Russian: -це (-ce)
    • Carpathian Rusyn: -це (-ce)
    • Ukrainian: -це (-ce)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: -ьцє (-ĭce), -ице (-ice) (when attached to roots ending in *-je)

    Glagolitic: -ⱐⱌⰵ (-ĭce), -ⰹⱌⰵ (-ice) (when attached to roots ending in *-je)

  • Bulgarian: -це (-ce)
  • Macedonian: -це (-ce)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: -це

    Latin script: -ce

  • Slovene: -ce
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -ce
  • Kashubian: -ce
  • Polish: -ce
  • Slovak: -ce
  • Slovincian: -icê

References

• Šekli, Matej (2012) “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎^[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32