Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dętelъ

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

Disputed:

• Machek, Trubačev, Derksen, Snoj (dominant view): From *dьlbti, *dьlbati (“to delve, to carve”) +‎ *-telъ (o-stem variant of *-teľь), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelbʰ- (“to dig, excavate”). Akin to dialectal *dьlbačь (attested in Bulgarian and Ukrainian). Nasalization due to presummed dissimilation l-T-l > n-T-l.
• Mladenov: From Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”) + *-telъ (cf. Ancient Greek δήξ (dḗx, “woodworm”)) with inherited nasalization, but with no other descendants from the reconstructed root within Balto-Slavic.

Noun

*dę̀telъ m

1. woodpecker

   Synonyms: *dьlbačь, *kьlvačь, *žьlna

Alternative forms

• *dętьlъ
• *dětelъ (Serbian) (probably reanalyzed)

Declension

Declension of *dętelъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dętelъ	*dętela	*dęteli
genitive	*dętela	*dętelu	*dętelъ
dative	*dętelu	*dęteloma	*dętelomъ
accusative	*dętelъ	*dętela	*dętely
instrumental	*dętelъmь, *dętelomь*	*dęteloma	*dętely
locative	*dętelě	*dętelu	*dętelěxъ
vocative	*dętele	*dętela	*dęteli

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

• *dętelina (“clover (Trifolium)”)

Related terms

• *delto (“chisel”)
• *dolto (“chisel”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: дзя́цел (dzjácjel)
  • Russian: дя́тел (djátel)
  • Ukrainian: дя́тел (djátel)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: дѧтелъ (dętelŭ)
  • Bulgarian: де́тел (détel), де́тло n (détlo) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: детел (detel)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: дјетао

    Latin script: djetao

  • Slovene: dẹ́təł (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: dětel
    • Czech: datel
  • Kashubian: dzãdzeł, dzãdzół, dzëdzół
  • Polish: dzięcioł
  • Slovak: ďateľ

References

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dętelъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 27
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “дя́тел”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “детел”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 349