Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъšica

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

From *mъxa +‎ *-ica, the diminutive of *muxa (“fly”). Logistically can be compared with Spanish mosquito, formed in a similar way from Latin musca (“fly”).

Noun

*mъšica f

1. literally small fly
2. gnat

Inflection

Declension of *mъšica (soft a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mъšica	*mъšici	*mъšicę̇
genitive	*mъšicę̇	*mъšicu	*mъšicь
dative	*mъšici	*mъšicama	*mъšicamъ
accusative	*mъšicǫ	*mъšici	*mъšicę̇
instrumental	*mъšicejǫ, *mъšicǫ**	*mъšicama	*mъšicami
locative	*mъšici	*mъšicu	*mъšicasъ, *mъšicaxъ*
vocative	*mъšice	*mъšici	*mъšicę̇

^* -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).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: мши́ца (mšíca) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: мъшица (mŭšica)

    Glagolitic script: ⰿⱏⱎⰻⱌⰰ (mŭšica)

  • Slovene: mešica
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: mšicě
    • Czech: mšice
      • Bohemian (Chod dialect): šmíce
  • Polish: mszyca
  • Slovak: mšica

References

• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*mъšica”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 336
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “мши́ца”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress