Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vьdova

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 Proto-Balto-Slavic *widawāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰéwh₂, possibly from *h₁weydʰh₁-.

Baltic cognates include Old Prussian widdewū (“widow”).

Indo-European cognates include Sanskrit विधवा (vidhavā, “widow”), विधु (vidhùṣ), Ancient Greek ἠΐθεος (ēḯtheos), Latin vidua f (“widow”), viduus, Old Irish fedb f, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍅𐍉 f (widuwō).

Also compare Lithuanian vidùs (“interior”), Latin dīvidō.

Noun

*vьdovà f

1. widow

Declension

Declension of *vьdovà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*vьdovà	*vьdòvě	*vьdovỳ
genitive	*vьdovỳ	*vьdovù	*vьdòvъ
dative	*vьdově̀	*vьdovàma	*vьdovàmъ
accusative	*vьdovǫ̀	*vьdòvě	*vьdovỳ
instrumental	*vьdovòjǫ, *vьdòvǫ**	*vьdovàma	*vьdovàmī
locative	*vьdově̀	*vьdovù	*vьdovàsъ, *vьdovàxъ*
vocative	*vьdovo	*vьdòvě	*vьdovỳ

^* -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).

Related terms

• *vьdovъ
  • *vьdovьcь
  • *vьdověti, *ovьdověti

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: въдова (vŭdova), въдовица (vŭdovica)
    • Belarusian: удава́ (udavá) / ўдава́ (ŭdavá)
    • Russian: вдова́ (vdová), вдови́ца (vdovíca) (obsolete)
    • Ukrainian: вдова́ (vdová) / удова́ (udová); вдови́ця (vdovýcja) / удови́ця (udovýcja) (obsolete)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: въдова (vŭdova), въдовица (vŭdovica)

    Glagolitic script: ⰲⱏⰴⱁⰲⰰ (vŭdova)

  • Bulgarian: вдови́ца (vdovíca)
  • Macedonian: вдовица (vdovica)
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    • Cyrillic script: у̀дова, удо̀вица
    • Latin script: udova, udovica
  • Slovene: vdȏva (tonal orthography), vdovica
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: vdova
    • Czech: vdova
  • Kashubian: gdowa
  • Old Polish: wdowa
    • Polish: wdowa
  • Slovak: vdova, bdova, gdova, vdovica
  • Sorbian:

    Upper Sorbian: wudowa

    Lower Sorbian: hudowa

References

• Derksen, Rick (2008) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 536
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “вдова”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “вдова”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volumes 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 136
• Oleg Trubačóv (1959) “вдова”, in История славянских терминов родства [History of Slavic Kinship Terms] (in Russian), Moscow, page 112