Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ščeka

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

Alternative forms

• *ščęka (with secondary nasalization)

Etymology

Possible cognates include Old Norse skagi (“low cape, ness”) and skegg (“beard”).

Noun

*ščeka f

1. cheek

   Synonym: *olnita

2. jaw, jowl, maxilla

   Synonym: *čeľustь

Inflection

Declension of *ščeka (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ščeka	*ščecě	*ščeky
genitive	*ščeky	*ščeku	*ščekъ
dative	*ščecě	*ščekama	*ščekamъ
accusative	*ščekǫ	*ščecě	*ščeky
instrumental	*ščekojǫ, *ščekǫ**	*ščekama	*ščekami
locative	*ščecě	*ščeku	*ščekasъ, *ščekaxъ*
vocative	*ščeko	*ščecě	*ščeky

^* -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).

Related terms

noun

• *paščeka

 

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: шчака́ (ščaká)
  • Russian: щека́ (ščeká)
  • Ukrainian: щока́ (ščoká)
• West Slavic:
  • Kashubian: szczãka
  • Polish: szczęka

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “щека́”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress