Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/lěkъ

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

From Proto-Indo-European *loykʷós, cognate with Ancient Greek λοιπός (loipós, “remaining”). Akin to Lithuanian laĩkas (“time”), Latvian laĩks (“time, weather”).

The only certain meaning is “remaining”. There are varying hypotheses regarding the secondary meanings attested in South Slavic dialects:

• Bezlaj: Derived from the titual etymology via semantic shift remaining → filtered → fine, delicate.
• Skok: Dialectal South Slavic innovation, derived from Etymology 2. Possibly related to Romanian oleacă (“a little”).

It is unclear if modern Bulgarian за́лека (záleka, “subtly, with attention to detail”) (possibly also и́злека (ízleka, “barely”), поле́ка (poléka, “steadily, gradually”)), Serbo-Croatian zȁlijek (“for a while, for a bit”) descend from *lěkъ or are recent corruptions of Proto-Slavic *lьgъkъ (“light”).

Adjective

*lě̑kъ

1. remaining, residual

   (possibly) → fine, detailed

   (perhaps) → delicate, subtle

Declension

Indefinite declension of *lěkъ (hard)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	**lěkъ	**lěka	**lěko
genitive	**lěka	**lěky	**lěka
dative	**lěku	**lěcě	**lěku
accusative	**lěkъ	**lěkǫ	**lěko
instrumental	**lěkomь	**lěkojǫ	**lěkomь
locative	**lěcě	**lěcě	**lěcě
vocative	**lěče	**lěko	**lěko
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	**lěka	**lěcě	**lěcě
genitive	**lěku	**lěku	**lěku
dative	**lěkoma	**lěkama	**lěkoma
accusative	**lěka	**lěcě	**lěcě
instrumental	**lěkoma	**lěkama	**lěkoma
locative	**lěku	**lěku	**lěku
vocative	**lěka	**lěcě	**lěcě
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	**lěci	**lěky	**lěka
genitive	**lěkъ	**lěkъ	**lěkъ
dative	**lěkomъ	**lěkamъ	**lěkomъ
accusative	**lěky	**lěky	**lěka
instrumental	**lěky	**lěkami	**lěky
locative	**lěcěxъ	**lěkaxъ	**lěcěxъ
vocative	**lěci	**lěky	**lěka

Definite declension of *lěkъ (hard)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	**lěkъjь	**lěkaja	**lěkoje
genitive	**lěkajego	**lěkyję̇	**lěkajego
dative	**lěkujemu	**lěcěji	**lěkujemu
accusative	**lěkъjь	**lěkǫjǫ	**lěkoje
instrumental	**lěkyjimь	**lěkǫjǫ	**lěkyjimь
locative	**lěcějemь	**lěcěji	**lěcějemь
vocative	**lěkъjь	**lěkaja	**lěkoje
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	**lěkaja	**lěcěji	**lěcěji
genitive	**lěkuju	**lěkuju	**lěkuju
dative	**lěkyjima	**lěkyjima	**lěkyjima
accusative	**lěkaja	**lěcěji	**lěcěji
instrumental	**lěkyjima	**lěkyjima	**lěkyjima
locative	**lěkuju	**lěkuju	**lěkuju
vocative	**lěkaja	**lěcěji	**lěcěji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	**lěciji	**lěkyję̇	**lěkaja
genitive	**lěkъjixъ	**lěkъjixъ	**lěkъjixъ
dative	**lěkyjimъ	**lěkyjimъ	**lěkyjimъ
accusative	**lěkyję̇	**lěkyję̇	**lěkaja
instrumental	**lěkyjimi	**lěkyjimi	**lěkyjimi
locative	**lěkyjixъ	**lěkyjixъ	**lěkyjixъ
vocative	**lěciji	**lěkyję̇	**lěkaja

Derived terms

• *otъlěkъ (“remainder”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: лѣкъ m (lěkŭ), лѣка f (lěka, “account, precise calculation”)
    • Russian: лек m (lek, “remainder”)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: *лѣкъ (*lěkŭ) (attested in compounds)
  • ⇒ Bulgarian: ле́чък (léčǎk) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ле̑к m (“a bit”)

    Latin script: lȇk m (“a bit”)

  • Slovene: lẹ̑k m (“little quantity”) (tonal orthography) (dialectal, substantivized)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “лек”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*lěka/*lěkъ I”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 14 (*labati – *lěteplъjь), Moscow: Nauka, page 191
• Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2011), “*otъlěkъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 37 (*otъgryzati (sę) – *otъpasti), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 124
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “лек¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 351
• “laikas”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012

Etymology 2

• Typically viewed as a Germanic loanword, either directly borrowed from Gothic *𐌻𐌴𐌺𐍃 (*lēks, “healer”) (< Proto-Germanic *lēkiz) or secondarily coined from *lěčiti (“to heal”) +‎ *-ъ, itself derived from the aforementioned source. Further akin to Old Irish líaig (“healer”).
• Mladenov, Skok: Of inherited origin, originally conveying “enchantment, spell”, possibly akin to Ancient Greek ληκέω (lēkéō, “to make noise”).
• Bezlaj, Gołąb: Substantivized from Etymology 1, perhaps via residue → product, fine quantity (of brewing, preparation) → medicine.

Standard objection against the Germanic origin is that no Germanic language conveys the instrumental meaning “medicine”.

Noun

*lě̃kъ m

1. remedy, medicine

Alternative forms

• *lěka f

Declension

Declension of *lě̃kъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*lě̃kъ	*lě̄kà	*lě̄cì
genitive	*lě̄kà	*lě̄kù	*lě̃kъ
dative	*lě̄kù	*lě̄kòma	*lě̄kòmъ
accusative	*lě̃kъ	*lě̄kà	*lě̄kỳ
instrumental	*lě̄kъ̀mь, *lě̄kòmь*	*lě̄kòma	*lě̃ky
locative	*lě̄cě̀	*lě̄kù	*lě̃cěxъ
vocative	*lěče	*lě̄kà	*lě̄cì

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

Derived terms

• *lěkati, *lěkovati (“to alleviate, to heal”)
  • *lěkařь (“healer”) (+ *-ařь)
  • *lěkovitъ (“medical”)
• *lěčiti (“to cure”)
  • *lěčivo (“cure”)
  • *lěčiteľь (“curer”)
• *lěčьba, *lěkoba (“treatment, therapy”)
  • *lěčьbьnъ, *lěkobьnъ (“curative, therapeutic”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: ле́кі pl (ljéki)
  • Russian: лека́ f (leká)
  • Ukrainian: лік m (lik), лі́ка f (líka)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: лѣкъ (lěkŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰾⱑⰽⱏ (lěkŭ)

  • Bulgarian: лек m (lek); (dialectal) лека́ f (leká)
  • Macedonian: лек (lek)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ле̑к m

    Latin script: lijȇk, lȇk m

  • Slovene: lẹ̑k (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: lék
    • Czech: lék
  • Polish: lek
  • Slovak: liek
  • Sorbian:

    Upper Sorbian: lěk

• Non-Slavic:
  • Romanian: leac

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “лека”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1987), “*lěka/*lěkъ II”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 14 (*labati – *lěteplъjь), Moscow: Nauka, page 192
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “лек²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 351