Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/čarъ

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 *ker-, *kēr-, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- (“to do, make, build”). Cognate with Sanskrit करोति (karóti), Lithuanian kùrti.

Slavic forms with *čar- presuppose a nominal lengthened-grade derivation, i.e. Proto-Balto-Slavic *kēr- (Lithuanian kẽras (“charm, magic”)). Serbo-Croatian feminine i-stem is probably an archaism—lengthened grade is expected in PIE root nouns which yield Balto-Slavic i-stems. The PIE root probably already had magical connotations, i.e. denoting remote action by magical means. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

*čarъ m

1. magic, sorcery

Declension

Declension of *čarъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*čarъ	*čara	*čari
genitive	*čara	*čaru	*čarъ
dative	*čaru	*čaroma	*čaromъ
accusative	*čarъ	*čara	*čary
instrumental	*čarъmь, *čaromь*	*čaroma	*čary
locative	*čarě	*čaru	*čarěxъ
vocative	*čare	*čara	*čari

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Alternative forms

• *čarь

Related terms

• *čara (“magic, sorcery”)
• *čariteljь
• *čarovьnica (“witch, sorceress”)
• *čarovьnikъ (“wizard, magician, sorcerer”)
• *čarovьnъ (“magical”)

Derived terms

• *čarati
• *čariti
• *čarodějь (“wizard, magician, sorcerer”)
• *čarovati (“to cast spell on, to bewitch, hex”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: чаръ (čarŭ)
    • Belarusian: ча́ры (čáry)
    • Russian: ча́ры (čáry)
    • Ukrainian: чар (čar)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: чаръ (čarŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⱍⰰⱃⱏ (čarŭ)

  • Bulgarian: чар (čar)
  • Macedonian: чар (čar)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ча̑р

    Latin script: čȃr

  • Slovene: čár
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: čar
    • Czech: čár
  • Polish: czar
  • Pomeranian:
    • Slovincian: czary
  • Slovak: čar

Further reading

• “keras”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė, 2007–2012
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “чары”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1977), “*čarъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 4 (*čaběniti – *děľa), Moscow: Nauka, page 26
• Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1976), “*čarъ”, in Słownik prasłowiański (in Polish), volume 2 (caca – davьnota), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 114
• Skok, Petar (1971) “Proto-Slavic/čarъ”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 295
• Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 362
• Gluhak, Alemko (1993) “Proto-Slavic/čarъ”, in Hrvatski etimološki rječnik (in Serbo-Croatian), Zagreb: August Cesarec, →ISBN, page 171