Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/okunь

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

*okunь (Perca fluviatilis)

Etymology

Most likely from *ȍko (“eye”) +‎ *-unь, originally meaning “fish with big eyes”.

Compare with Komi-Zyrian öкыш (ökyš, “perch”), Komi-Permyak ёкыш (jokyš), ёкуш (jokuš), еки (jeki), іокыш (iokyš), which are possibly borrowed from East Slavic (compare the Russian diminutive form окушо́к (okušók)).

Noun

*okunь m

1. (originally) big-eyed fish
2. European perch (Perca fluviatilis)

Declension

Declension of *okunь (i-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*okunь	*okuni	*okunьje, *okuňe*
genitive	*okuni	*okunьju, *okuňu*	*okunьjь, *okuni*
dative	*okuni	*okunьma	*okunьmъ
accusative	*okunь	*okuni	*okuni
instrumental	*okunьmь	*okunьma	*okunьmi
locative	*okuni	*okunьju, *okuňu*	*okunьxъ
vocative	*okuni	*okuni	*okunьje, *okuňe*

^* 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).

Derived terms

• *okunèvъ (“perch-related”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: окунь (okunĭ); Окунь (Okunĭ) (proper name)
    • Old Ruthenian: о́кунь (ókunʹ)
      • Belarusian: аку́нь (akúnʹ); во́кунь (vókunʹ), о́кунь (ókunʹ) (dialectal)
      • Ukrainian: о́кунь (ókunʹ); о́конь (ókonʹ) (dialectal)
    • Russian: о́кунь (ókunʹ) (see there for further descendants); во́кунь (vókunʹ) (dialectal); О́кунь (Ókunʹ) (surname)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: оку́н (okún)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: о̏ку̑н (regional); окон (rare)

    Latin script: ȍkȗn (regional); okon (rare)

  • Slovene: okȗn; okȏn (dialectal)
    • ⇒ Slovene: okun, okak, okuk (“ruffe”) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: okún
    • Czech: okoun, vokoun; ogoun (dialectal)
  • Kashubian: òkùnk
  • Old Polish: okoń, okuń
    • Polish: okuń, okóń, okoń
  • Old Slovak: okúň
    • Slovak: okúň
  • Slovincian: wôkón
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: hokuń (obsolete); wokuń

Further reading

• Trubachyov, O., Zhuravlyov, A. F., editors (2005), “*okunъ/ь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 32 (*obžьnъ – *orzbotati), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 43
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “о́кунь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (2003), “о́кунь”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volumes 4 (Н – П), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN, page 177
• Martynaŭ, V. U., Tsykhun, G. A., editors (1978–2017), “аку́нь”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka
• Kolomijec, V. T. (1983) Происхождение общеславянских названий рыб [The Origin of the Common Slavic Names of Fish] (К IX Международному съезду славистов) (in Russian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, pages 68-70