Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/onъ

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 Proto-Balto-Slavic *anas.

Pronoun

*onъ

1. he, it, that

Declension

The nominative forms also served as replacements for the nominative of anaphoric pronoun *jь (“he, she, it”). The non-nominative forms were used only as determiners.

Declension of *onъ (hard pronominal)

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*onъ	*ona	*ono
Accusative	*onъ	*onǫ	*ono
Genitive	*onogo	*onoję̇	*onogo
Locative	*onomь	*onoji	*onomь
Dative	*onomu	*onoji	*onomu
Instrumental	*oněmь	*onojǫ	*oněmь
Dual	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*ona	*oně	*oně
Accusative	*ona	*oně	*oně
Genitive	*onoju	*onoju	*onoju
Locative	*onoju	*onoju	*onoju
Dative	*oněma	*oněma	*oněma
Instrumental	*oněma	*oněma	*oněma
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*oni	*ony	*ona
Accusative	*ony	*ony	*ona
Genitive	*oněxъ	*oněxъ	*oněxъ
Locative	*oněxъ	*oněxъ	*oněxъ
Dative	*oněmъ	*oněmъ	*oněmъ
Instrumental	*oněmi	*oněmi	*oněmi

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: онъ (onŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: онъ (on), вонъ (von)
      • Belarusian: ён (jon)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: он (on), він (vin)
      • Ukrainian: він (vin)
    • Russian: он (on)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: онъ (onŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⱁⱀⱏ (onŭ)

  • Bulgarian: он (on) (archaic)
  • Macedonian: он (on) (dialectal)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: о̑н

    Latin script: ȏn

  • Slovene: ȍn (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: on
    • Czech: on
  • Old Polish: on
    • Polish: on
    • Silesian: ôn
  • Polabian: vån
  • Old Slovak: on, ôn, un, von
    • Pannonian Rusyn: вон (von)
    • Slovak: on
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: òn
    • Slovincian: wôn
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: wón
    • Lower Sorbian: wón

Further reading

• Trubachyov, O., Zhuravlyov, A. F., editors (2005), “*onъ, *ona, *ono”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 32 (*obžьnъ – *orzbotati), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 89
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “он”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

Determiner

*onъ

1. that, that over there, yonder

Declension

Declension of *onъ (hard pronominal)

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*onъ	*ona	*ono
Accusative	*onъ	*onǫ	*ono
Genitive	*onogo	*onoję̇	*onogo
Locative	*onomь	*onoji	*onomь
Dative	*onomu	*onoji	*onomu
Instrumental	*oněmь	*onojǫ	*oněmь
Dual	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*ona	*oně	*oně
Accusative	*ona	*oně	*oně
Genitive	*onoju	*onoju	*onoju
Locative	*onoju	*onoju	*onoju
Dative	*oněma	*oněma	*oněma
Instrumental	*oněma	*oněma	*oněma
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*oni	*ony	*ona
Accusative	*ony	*ony	*ona
Genitive	*oněxъ	*oněxъ	*oněxъ
Locative	*oněxъ	*oněxъ	*oněxъ
Dative	*oněmъ	*oněmъ	*oněmъ
Instrumental	*oněmi	*oněmi	*oněmi

See also

• *jь, *čьjь, *jьnъ, *kъjь, *onъ, *ovъ, *sь, *tъ, *vьśь
• *jakъ, *jьnakъ, *kakъ, *onakъ, *ovakъ, *sicь, *takъ, *vьśakъ
• *koterъ, *jeterъ

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: онъ (onŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: оный (onyj), онъ (on)
      • Ukrainian: о́ний (ónyj) (obsolete)
    • Russian: о́ный (ónyj) (obsolete)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: онъ (onŭ)

    Glagolitic: ⱁⱀⱐ (onĭ)

  • Bulgarian: он (on)
  • Macedonian: оној (onoj) (< *onъ-jь)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: о̀на̄ј (< *onъ-jь)

    Latin script: ònāj (< *onъ-jь)

• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: on, onen
    • Czech: onen
  • Kashubian: òn
  • Old Polish: on
    • Polish: (dated, literary) on
  • Slovak: onen (obsolete)
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: wony

Further reading

• Trubachyov, O., Zhuravlyov, A. F., editors (2005), “*onъ, *ona, *ono”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 32 (*obžьnъ – *orzbotati), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 89