Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/pero

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

• Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ (“feather, wing”), from *peth₂- (“to fly”). Cognates include Lithuanian spar̃nas (“wing”), Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing, feather”), English feather, Old Armenian թիռ (tʿiṙ, “flight”).
• Per Vasmer and Derksen, related to *pьrati (“to fly”). Cognate with Lithuanian spar̃nas (“wing”), Latvian spā̀rns (“wing”), Sanskrit पर्ण (parṇá, “wing”), Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀 (par^əna, “wing”), Old English fearn (“fern”), English fern, Old Irish raith (“fern”). Derksen also includes Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing, feather”), but Vasmer considers the connection less likely. Derksen derives these from Proto-Indo-European *perH- (“to fly”), with a laryngeal assumed on the basis of Baltic and Celtic evidence.

Noun

*però n

1. feather
2. quill (for writing)

Inflection

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*però	*pèrě	*perà
genitive	*perà	*perù	*pèrъ
dative	*perù	*peròma	*peròmъ
accusative	*però	*pèrě	*perà
instrumental	*perъ̀mь, *peròmь*	*peròma	*pèry
locative	*perě̀	*perù	*pèrěxъ
vocative	*però	*pèrě	*perà

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

Related terms

• *pьrati (“to fly”)

Derived terms

• *operenьje (“feathering”)
• *perina (“cushion (made of feathers)”)
• *perušina (“plumage (as material)”)
• *perьnъ (“goosey, exhibiting gooseflesh”)
• *perьnatъ (“feathery”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: перо (pero)
    • Belarusian: пяро́ (pjaró)
    • Russian: перо́ (peró)
      • → Azerbaijani: pero
      • → Kildin Sami: пера (p’era)
      • → Ingrian: pero
    • Carpathian Rusyn: перо (pero)
    • Ukrainian: перо́ (peró)
• South Slavic:
  • Church Slavonic: перо (pero)
  • Bulgarian: перо́ (peró)
  • Macedonian: перо (pero)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: пѐро, pl. пе̏ра, (Eastern Hercegovina) пѐра

    Latin: pèro, pl. pȅra, (Eastern Hercegovina) pèra

    • Chakavian (Vrgada): perȍ, pl. pȅrå̄
    • Chakavian (Novi): perȍ, pl. pȅra
    • Montenegrin (Piperi): pȅro
  • Slovene: perọ̑ (tonal orthography), gen. perẹ̑sa (tonal orthography); péro (tonal orthography), gen. péra (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: pero, péro
  • Kashubian: pióro
  • Polabian: perü
  • Old Polish: pióro
    • Polish: pióro
    • Silesian: piōro
  • Slovak: pero
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: pjero
    • Lower Sorbian: pjero, pjoro

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “перо̀”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress