Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ba

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

Likely from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ (affirmative adverb), cognate with Ancient Greek φή (phḗ, “like, as”), Avestan 𐬠𐬁 (bā, “indeed”).

Particle

*ba

1. yes, yeah (a term used to indicate general agreement)

   Synonym: *da

   Antonym: *ne

2. indeed

   → wow, really (interjection expressing surprise, astonishment)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: ба (ba) (rare)
  • Ukrainian: ба (ba, “Wow!”)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: ба (ba) (rare)
  • Macedonian: ба (ba) (rare, dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ба̏ (“wow!”)

    Latin script: bȁ (“wow!”)

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: ba
  • Old Polish: ba
    • Polish: ba
  • Slovak: ba
  • Sorbian
    • Lower Sorbian: ba

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*ba”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 105
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “ба²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 22