бьцела

See also: бьчела and бъчела

Old Novgorodian

бьцела (sense 1)

бьцелꙑ (sense 2)

Alternative forms

• бцела (bćela) — late form

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bьčelà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bikelā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰi-k-el-éh₂, from *bʰey- (“bee”). First attested in c. 1300‒1320. Cognate with Old East Slavic бьчела (bĭčela), Old Ruthenian бчола́ (bčolá), Old Church Slavonic бьчела (bĭčela), Old Polish pszczoła.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: бь‧це‧ла

Noun

бьцела • (bĭćela) f

2. bee
4. (plural only) hive, beehive
   • c. 1300‒1320, Берестяная грамота № 766 [Birchbark letter no. 766]‎^[2], Novgorod:

     … себѣ которои вꙁѧли бч(елꙑ) …

     … sebě kotoroi vzęli bć(ely) …

     … to himself, who took the hives …

   • c. 1300‒1320, Schaeken, Jos (2019) Voices on Birchbark (SSGL; 43)‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, transl., Берестяная грамота № Твер. 5 [Birchbark letter no. Tver. 5]‎^[4], Tver:

     … · шюига дубие переписꙑваете а [б]целꙑ ти лаꙁило · ѧꙁо дубие ѿимаю по своеи мети а тесно сотесꙑваете · то мои дубо · ваше бортико ꙩкралосѧ первꙑ · …

     … · šjuiga dubije perepisyvajete a [b]ćely ti lazilo · jęzo dubije otimaju po svojei meti a tesno sotesyvajete · to moi dubo · vaše bortiko okralosę pervy · …

     Šujga is overwriting (the marks on) the oaks and has taken out honey from the hives, (saying:) “I am taking away the oaks on my own mark.” He is cutting away the ownership-mark, (saying:) “This is my oak. Your former beekeeper has fallen into robbery.”

Further reading

• “бьцела”, in Берестяные грамоты – Национальный корпус русского языка [Birchbark Letters – Russian National Corpus], https://ruscorpora.ru/, 2003–2024