Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ova

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 1

From the determiner *ovъ. Possibly related to the interjection *uvy.

Determiner

*ova

1. feminine singular nominative of *ovъ: this new one

Interjection

*ova or *ovo

1. Used to emphasize or draw attention to something, often with a notch of disappointment: aw! oy!

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old Ruthenian: ов (ov), оу (ou)
    • Ukrainian: овва́ (ovvá)
      • ⇒ Ukrainian: оввакало (ovvakalo)
• South Slavic:
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: о̏во, е̏во

    Latin script: ȍvo, ȅvo

• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: ova
    • ⇒ Old Czech: ova tu, ova neb(o)
    • Czech: ouve
      • ⇒ Czech: ouvech, ouvej, ovej, ovaj
  • Old Polish: owa
    • Polish: owwa; owo, ow (obsolete); owa (dialectal)
  • Old Slovak: óvi
    • Slovak: óvi

Further reading

• Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2014), “*ova / *ovo”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 39 (*otъtęti – *ozgǫba), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 185
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “овва́”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka

Etymology 2

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂s. Compare Latin ava (“maternal aunt; wife of uncle”), avus (“grandfather”), avia (“grandmother”), Old Armenian հաւ (haw, “grandfather”), Proto-Germanic *awǭ (> Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐍉 (awō, “grandmother”)).

Noun

*ova f

1. grandmother

Declension

Declension of *ova (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ova	*ově	*ovy
genitive	*ovy	*ovu	*ovъ
dative	*ově	*ovama	*ovamъ
accusative	*ovǫ	*ově	*ovy
instrumental	*ovojǫ, *ovǫ**	*ovama	*ovami
locative	*ově	*ovu	*ovasъ, *ovaxъ*
vocative	*ovo	*ově	*ovy

^* -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).

See also

Proto-Slavic family terms

*sěmьja, *rodina (“family”)	Male	Female
parent	*otъ, *otьcь (“father”) nursery: *tata	*mati (“mother”) nursery: *mama
sibling	*bratrъ (“brother”)	*sestra (“sister”)
child	*synъ (“son”)	*dъťi (“daughter”)
grandparent	– (“grandfather”) nursery: *dědъ; *nana	*ova (“grandmother”) nursery: *baba; *nena
grandchild	*vъnukъ (“grandson”)	*vъnuka (“granddaughter”)
stepparent	*otьčimъ (“stepfather”)	*maťexa (“stepmother”)
stepchild	*pastorъkъ (“stepson”)	*pastorъka (“stepdaughter”)
father's sibling	*strъjь (“paternal uncle”) nursery: *dada; *lola	– (“paternal aunt”) nursery: *teta; *lelja
mother's sibling	*ujь (“maternal uncle”) nursery: *dada; *lola	– (“maternal aunt”) nursery: *teta; *lelja
sibling's child	*netьjь (“nephew”)	*nestera (“niece”)
spouse	*mǫžь (“husband”)	*žena (“wife”)
parent of wife	*tьstь (“father-in-law (wife's father)”)	*tьšča (“mother-in-law (wife's mother)”)
parent of husband	*svekrъ (“father-in-law (husband's father)”)	*svekry (“mother-in-law (husband's father)”)
sibling of wife	*šurь (“brother-in-law (wife's brother)”)	*svěstь, *svьstь (“sister-in-law (wife's sister)”)
sibling of husband	*děverь (“brother-in-law (husband's brother)”)	*zъly (“sister-in-law (husband's sister)”)
spouse of child	*zętь (“son-in-law (daughter's husband)”)	*snъxa (“daughter-in-law (son's wife)”)
spouse of husband's brother	–	*ętry (“sister-in-law (husband's brother's wife)”)

Related terms

• *ujь (“maternal uncle”)

Descendants

• West Slavic:
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: wowa
      • ⇒ Upper Sorbian: wowka (“grandmother”), wowcyny (“grandmother's”)
    • Lower Sorbian: wówa (“grandmother”)

Further reading

• Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2014), “*ova”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 39 (*otъtęti – *ozgǫba), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 184
• Schuster-Šewc, Heinz (1978-94) Historisch-etymolo-gisches Wörterbuch der ober- und niedersorbischen Sprache. 5 vols, Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag