Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ovьca

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 *ovь +‎ *-ьca, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *áwis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis. Exact cognate of Sanskrit अविक (avika), suggesting Proto-Indo-European *h₂ów-i-keh₂.

Noun

*ovьcà f^[1]^[2]

sheep

Inflection

Declension of *ovьcà (soft a-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ovьcà	*ovь̀ci	*ovьcę̇̀
genitive	*ovьcę̇̀	*ovьcù	*ovь̀cь
dative	*ovьcì	*ovьcàma	*ovьcàmъ
accusative	*ovьcǫ̀	*ovь̀ci	*ovьcę̇̀
instrumental	ovьcèjǫ, ovь̀cǫ^**	*ovьcàma	*ovьcàmī
locative	*ovьcì	*ovьcù	ovьcàsъ, ovьcàxъ^*
vocative	*ovьce	*ovь̀ci	*ovьcę̇̀

^* -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).

Declension of *ovьcà (soft a-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ovьcà	*ȍvьci	*ȍvьcę̇
genitive	*ovьcę̇́	*ovьcù	*ovь̀cь
dative	*ovьcì	*ovьcàma	*ovьcàmъ
accusative	*ȍvьcǫ	*ȍvьci	*ȍvьcę̇
instrumental	*ovьcejǫ́	*ovьcàma	*ovьcàmi
locative	*ȍvьcī	*ovьcù	ovьcàsъ, ovьcàxъ^*
vocative	*ovьce	*ȍvьci	*ȍvьcę̇

^* -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.

Related terms

*ovьnъ (“ram”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: овьца (ovĭca)
  - Belarusian: аўца́ (aŭcá) (rare), аве́чка (avjéčka) (< diminutive *ovьčьka)
  - Russian: овца́ (ovcá)
  - Ukrainian: вівця́ (vivcjá)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Cyrillic: овьца (ovĭca)
  
  Glagolitic: ⱁⰲⱐⱌⰰ (ovĭca)
- Bulgarian: овца́ (ovcá)
- Macedonian: о́вца (óvca)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: о́вца
  
  Latin script: óvca
- Slovene: óvca (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: ovcě
  - Czech: ovce
- Polabian: vićă
- Kashubian: òwca
- Polish: owca
- Silesian: ôwca
- Slovak: ovca
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: wójca
  - Upper Sorbian: wowca

References

^ Derksen, Rick (2008) “*ovьcà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 384
^ Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2014), “*ovьca”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 39 (*otъtęti – *ozgǫba), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 202

[1] Derksen, Rick (2008) “*ovьcà”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 384

[2] Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2014), “*ovьca”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 39 (*otъtęti – *ozgǫba), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 202

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