Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kovaľь

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 *kovàti (“to hew, to forge”) +‎ *-aľь (“deverbal”).

Noun

*kovàľь m

1. blacksmith

Declension

Declension of *kovaľь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kovaľь	*kovaľa	*kovaľi
genitive	*kovaľa	*kovaľu	*kovaľь
dative	*kovaľu	*kovaľema	*kovaľemъ
accusative	*kovaľь	*kovaľa	*kovaľę̇
instrumental	*kovaľьmь, *kovaľemь*	*kovaľema	*kovaľi
locative	*kovaľi	*kovaľu	*kovaľixъ
vocative	*kovaľu	*kovaľa	*kovaľi

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

Derived terms

• *kovàlikъ (diminutive)

Related terms

• *kovačь, *kovьcь (“blacksmith”)
• *kuznьcь (“forger, artisan”)
• *kovařь (“forger”)
• *kovylь (“needle grass”)
• *kyjь (“hammer, club”)
• *kovadlo (“forging press”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: коваль (kovalĭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: коваль (kovalʹ), ковалъ (koval)
      • Belarusian: кава́ль (kaválʹ)
      • Ukrainian: кова́ль (koválʹ)
        • → Bulgarian: кова́ль (koválʹ) (dialectal, archaic)
    • Russian: ко́ва́ль (kóválʹ) (dialectal, regional)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: *koval
    • Czech: koval (dialectal)
  • Old Polish: *kowal
    • Polish: kowal
    • Silesian: kowŏl
  • Old Slovak: kovaľ
    • Pannonian Rusyn: коваль (kovalʹ)
    • Slovak: kováľ (dialectal)
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: kòwôl
    • Slovincian: kôwól
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: kowal

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1985), “*kovalь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 12 (*koulъkъ – *kroma/*kromъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 7
• Martynaŭ, V. U., Tsykhun, G. A., editors (1978–2017), “кава́ль”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka