Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bedrьnьcь

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

Alternative reconstructions

• *bъdrьnьcь (Brückner, Goląb)

Etymology

By surface analysis, *bedrьnъ, *bedrenъ +‎ *-ьcь. Exact meaning disputed:

• Trubačev, Holub & Kopečný: Ablauted from Proto-Slavic *bosti (“to prick”) (e-grade attested in Baltic) in reference to the pungent or tonic properties of the plant.
• Miklošič, Machek: From Proto-Slavic *bedro (“thigh”) due to some medicinal use for the legs or childbirth. Origin-wise, probably identical to the above etymology.
• Brückner, Goląb, Vasmer: From Proto-Slavic *bъdrъ (“cheerful, awake”) via metaphony, like in Russian ме́дленный (médlennyj) from Proto-Slavic *mъdьlьnъ. Phonetically dubious.
• Lunt: From otherwise lost Proto-Slavic *bedrъ (“healthful, beneficial”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰe(n)d- (“to improve”).
• Perhaps a distortion of Medieval Latin pipernella, pibinella, bipinella, a word with many variants among which: Old High German bibinella, German Bibernelle and ultimately English pimpernel.

Noun

*bedrьnьcь m

1. Pimpinella, especially Pimpinella saxifraga (burnet saxifrage)

Alternative forms

• *bedrenьcь
• *bedrьnikъ, *bedrenikъ m
• *bedrьnica, *bedrenica, *bedrenika f

Declension

Declension of *bedrьnьcь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bedrьnьcь	*bedrьnьca	*bedrьnьci
genitive	*bedrьnьca	*bedrьnьcu	*bedrьnьcь
dative	*bedrьnьcu	*bedrьnьcema	*bedrьnьcemъ
accusative	*bedrьnьcь	*bedrьnьca	*bedrьnьcę̇
instrumental	*bedrьnьcьmь, *bedrьnьcemь*	*bedrьnьcema	*bedrьnьci
locative	*bedrьnьci	*bedrьnьcu	*bedrьnьcixъ
vocative	*bedrьnьče	*bedrьnьca	*bedrьnьci

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Related terms

• (probably) *bedruna, *bedrunъka, *bedrunica (“lady bug”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: бядры́нец (bjadrýnjec), dialectally ядры́нец (jadrýnjec)
  • Russian: бе́дрене́ц (bédrenéc), бедрине́ц (bedrinéc), бедря́нец (bedrjánec); бе́дренецъ (bédrenec), бедрене́цъ (bedrenéc), бедрине́цъ (bedrinéc), бедря́нецъ (bedrjánec)
  • Ukrainian: бедри́нець (bedrýnecʹ), бедрене́ць (bedrenécʹ), бедріне́ць (bedrinécʹ), бедри́ч (bedrýč), бедре́ник (bedrényk), бедрець (bedrecʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: бедреница (bedrenica)
  • Macedonian: бедреница (bedrenica)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: бе̏дринац, бедрѐника, бедреник, бедренац, бедрица, бедрница, бедриница, бедраница, бедреника

    Latin script: bȅdrinac, bedrènika, bedrenik, bedrenac, bedrica, bedrnica, bedrinica, bedranica, bedrenika

  • Slovene: bedrẹ̑nəc (tonal orthography), recorded also bedrȋnec, bẹ́drenik, bẹ́drnik
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: bedrník, vedrník
    • Czech: bedrník
  • Old Polish: biedrzeniec, biedrnik, wiedrzeniec, wiedrzan
    • Polish: biedrzeniec
  • Slovak: bedrovník, older bederník

Further reading

• Anikin, A. E. (2009) “бедрене́ц”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), numbers 3 (бе – болдыхать), Moscow: Manuscript Monuments Ancient Rus, →ISBN, page 32
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*bedrьnikъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 176
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “бедрене́ц”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress