Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/melьnica

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 *melьnъ +‎ *-ica, from *melti (“to grind, mill”) +‎ *-ьnъ.

Noun

*melьnica f

1. mill

Declension

Declension of *melьnica (soft a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*melьnica	*melьnici	*melьnicę̇
genitive	*melьnicę̇	*melьnicu	*melьnicь
dative	*melьnici	*melьnicama	*melьnicamъ
accusative	*melьnicǫ	*melьnici	*melьnicę̇
instrumental	*melьnicejǫ, *melьnicǫ**	*melьnicama	*melьnicami
locative	*melьnici	*melьnicu	*melьnicasъ, *melьnicaxъ*
vocative	*melьnice	*melьnici	*melьnicę̇

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: ме́льница (mélʹnica)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: ме́лница (mélnica)
  • Macedonian: мелница (melnica)
• West Slavic:
  • Polabian: malneićă
  • Polish: mielnica (obsolete)?

Further reading

• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “мелница”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 728