Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dolga

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

Uncertain. Likely akin to Lithuanian dalgùs/dilgùs (“prickly”), dal̃gis (“scythe”), Latvian dalgs (“scythe”), Old Prussian doalgis (“scythe”).

Per Derksen (supported by Kroonen), further origin perhaps from "Northern" Proto-Indo-European *delgʰ- (“to carve, to shape”), whence also Proto-Germanic *talgijaną (“to carve”). Alternative proposals suggest:

• Mikkola, Pedersen: Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelg- ~ *dʰalg- (“pricking tool”), cognate with Proto-Germanic *dalkaz (“pin, dagger”), Latin falx (“sickle”).
• Berneker, Machek, Freankel: Effectively from Proto-Indo-European *dolh₁- (“to split, to cleave”) + *-ga, akin to Old Irish dlongaid (“to split”) (via another extension).

Noun

*dolga f

1. splint

Alternative forms

• *dolgъ m

Declension

Declension of *dolga (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dolga	*doldzě	*dolgy
genitive	*dolgy	*dolgu	*dolgъ
dative	*doldzě	*dolgama	*dolgamъ
accusative	*dolgǫ	*doldzě	*dolgy
instrumental	*dolgojǫ, *dolgǫ**	*dolgama	*dolgami
locative	*doldzě	*dolgu	*dolgasъ, *dolgaxъ*
vocative	*dolgo	*doldzě	*dolgy

^* -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).

Derived terms

• *dolžьka, *dolžica (diminutive)

Related terms

• *dolka (“pelt, hair”) (possibly)
• *dolnь (“palm”) (possibly)

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: дла́га (dlága) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian: (dialectal)

    Cyrillic script: дла́га, дла̑г m

    Latin script: dlága, dlȃg m

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: dláha
  • Slovak: dláha
  • Sorbian:
    • ⇒ Lower Sorbian: dłožka, dłožica (dialectal)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dolga”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 61
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “длага”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 399
• “dalgis”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012