Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/brězgъ

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 1

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreHg- (“to rot, to stink”) + *-zgъ. Possibly akin to Norwegian brisk (“bitter”), English brisk (“fizzy”).

Parallel to this term, there are also Proto-Slavic *brěčь (“resin, pitch”), Proto-Slavic *briskъ (“drop, shred, slice”), Proto-Slavic *břuxъ (“blister”). It is safe to assume all of these terms ultimately represent various resultant extensions of Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to process, to carry out”).

Noun

*brězgъ m

1. tar taste

Inflection

Declension of *brězgъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*brězgъ	*brězga	*brězdzi
genitive	*brězga	*brězgu	*brězgъ
dative	*brězgu	*brězgoma	*brězgomъ
accusative	*brězgъ	*brězga	*brězgy
instrumental	*brězgъmь, *brězgomь*	*brězgoma	*brězgy
locative	*brězdzě	*brězgu	*brězdzěxъ
vocative	*brěždže	*brězga	*brězdzi

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

Related terms

• *braga (“must, yeast”)
• *brězgati (“to burst, to decompose”).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Ukrainian: бреск (bresk, “bitterness”) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: břesk
  • Polish: brzazg

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*brězgъ I”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 18

Etymology 2

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *brēˀsgas, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁ǵ- (“to brighten”) + *-zgъ. Cognate with Lithuanian brė́kšta (“dawn”).

Parallel to Proto-Slavic *brěskъ (“bloom, shine”).

Noun

*brězgъ m

1. dawn, daybreak

Inflection

Declension of *brězgъ (hard o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*brězgъ	*brězga	*brězdzi
genitive	*brězga	*brězgu	*brězgъ
dative	*brězgu	*brězgoma	*brězgomъ
accusative	*brězgъ	*brězga	*brězgy
instrumental	*brězgъmь, *brězgomь*	*brězgoma	*brězgy
locative	*brězdzě	*brězgu	*brězdzěxъ
vocative	*brěždže	*brězga	*brězdzi

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

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: брѣзгъ (brězgŭ)
    • Russian: брезг (brezg) (colloquial, dialectal)
      • ⇒ Russian: бре́зжить (brézžitʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • ⇒ Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: пробрѣзгъ (probrězgŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⱂⱁⰱⱃⱑⰸⰳⱏ (pobrězgŭ)

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: březg
  • Old Polish: brzazg
    • Polish: brzask

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “брезг”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1976), “*brězgъ II”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 3 (*bratrьcь – *cьrky), Moscow: Nauka, page 19