Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ikъ

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed words 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

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Cognate with Latvian -ieks (< -eikas). The *-i in *-ikъ thus reflects a diphthong *ey, which explains the lack of the third palatalization. Lithuanian -ykas reflects earlier -inīkas, and is not a cognate. Probably not related to Sanskrit -ईक (-īká) and Latin -īco.

Suffix

*-ikъ m

1. Denominal, forming diminutives.

   *nožь (“knife”) → *nožikъ (“a small knife”)

   *větrъ (“wind”) → *větrikъ (“breeze”)

   *listъ (“leaf”) → *listikъ (“a small leaf”)

   *bobъ (“broad bean”) → *bobikъ (“(a small) broad bean”)

2. Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of a property.

   *zoltъ (“golden”) → *zoltikъ (“something golden”)

   *porzdьnъ (“empty”) → *porzdьnikъ (“feast, holiday, festival”)

   *moldъ (“young”) → *moldikъ (“something or somebody young”)

   *malъ (“small”) → *malikъ (“something or somebody small”)

Declension

Declension of *-ikъ (hard o-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*-ikъ	*-ika	*-ici
Accusative	*-ikъ	*-ika	*-iky
Genitive	*-ika	*-iku	*-ikъ
Locative	*-icě	*-iku	*-icěxъ
Dative	*-iku	*-ikoma	*-ikomъ
Instrumental	*-ikъmь, *-ikomь*	*-ikoma	*-iky
Vocative	*-iče	*-ika	*-ici

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

Usage notes

The diminutive function is productive in North Slavic. In South Slavic languages diminutive formations only exist in relics, mostly in Slovene.

Derived terms

• *-nikъ (appended to the past participle of verbs in *-nъ)
• *-ьnikъ (with *-ьn- element abstracted away from denominal derivations on *-ьnъ)

Related terms

• *-ica (feminine counterpart)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -икъ (-ikŭ)
    • Belarusian: -ік (-ik)
    • Russian: -ик (-ik)
    • Ukrainian: -ик (-yk)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: -икъ (-ikŭ)

    Glagolitic: -ⰹⰽⱏ (-ikŭ)

  • Bulgarian: -ик (-ik)
  • Macedonian: -ик (-ik)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: -ик

    Latin: -ik

  • Slovene: -ik
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -ík
  • Polish: -ik, -yk
  • Slovak: -ík
  • Slovincian: -ǐḱ
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: -ik

References

• Šekli, Matej (2012), “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎^[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, issue 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
• Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974) Słownik prasłowiański (in Polish), volume I, Wrocław: Polska Akademia Nauk, page 90f
• J. Halla-aho (2006): "Nouns in */-k-o-/ " in Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology, University of Helsenki, p. 70