Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/polъ

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed words 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 1

Probably from Proto-Balto-Slavic, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pelH- (“to chop, to separate”). Compare Proto-Slavic *polъka, *polica (“shelf, file”).

Noun

*pólъ m

1. side, flank

   *na *onomь *polu ― on [the] yonder side

2. half

   *orzděľati *polъma ― to divide in two

3. member of a pair of options → gender, sex

Inflection

Declension of *polъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm a)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*polъ	*pòla	*pòli
Accusative	*polъ	*pòla	*pòly
Genitive	*pòla	*pòlu	*pòlъ
Locative	*pòlě	*pòlu	*pòlě̄xъ
Dative	*pòlu	*pòloma	*pòlomъ
Instrumental	*pòlъmь, *pòlomь*	*pòloma	*pòlȳ
Vocative	*pòle	*pòla	*pòli

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

Secondarily:

Declension of *polъ (u-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*polъ	*poly	*polove
Accusative	*polъ	*poly	*poly
Genitive	*polu	*polovu	*polovъ
Locative	*polu	*polovu	*polъxъ
Dative	*polovi	*polъma	*polъmъ
Instrumental	*polъmь	*polъma	*polъmi
Vocative	*polu	*poly	*polove

Derived terms

• *pola (“moiety”)
• *polovъ (“halved”)
  • *poloviti (“to behalf”)
  • *polova, *polovina (“half”) (quantity)
• *polъ-, *polu- (“half-, semi-, mid-”)
  • *polъtora (“one and a half”)
  • *poludьnь, *poldьnь (“midday”)
  • *polъnoťь, *polunoťь (“midnight”)
  • *polugodьje, *polъročьje (“half-year”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: полъ (polŭ)
    • Belarusian: пол (pol), палова (palóva)
    • Russian: пол (pol), половина (polovina)
    • Ukrainian: пів (piv)

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:
    • Old Cyrillic: полъ (polŭ)
    • Glagolitic: ⱂⱁⰾⱏ (polŭ)
  • Bulgarian: пол (pol)
  • Macedonian: пол (pol)
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    • Cyrillic: по̑л, по̑
    • Latin: pȏl, pȏ
  • Slovene: ро̑l

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: půl
  • Polish: pół
  • Slovak: роl
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: рóɫ
    • Upper Sorbian: роɫ

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) , “пол”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubačóv, Moscow: Progress
• Duridanov I., Račeva M., Todorov T., editors (1996) , “пол¹ (gender), пол² (half)”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 5, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 489

Etymology 2

Either identical with Etymology 1 or from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to cover, to span, to fold”), *pleh₂- (“to flatten”).

Noun

*pólъ m

1. expanse, sheet, covering
2. floor (in East Slavic)

Inflection

Declension of *pȍlъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*pȍlъ	*pȍla	*pȍli
Accusative	*pȍlъ	*pȍla	*pȍly
Genitive	*pȍla	*polù	*pòlъ
Locative	*pȍlě	*polù	*polě̃xъ
Dative	*pȍlu	*polomà	*polòmъ
Instrumental	*pȍlъmь, *pȍlomь*	*polomà	*polý
Vocative	*pole	*pȍla	*pȍli

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

Derived terms

• *pola (“lap, skirt”) (probably, could be from Etymology 1)
  • *polъka (“lap, hem, rim of a cloth”)

Related terms

• *pelena (“nappy”)
• *plěna (“membrane”)
• *polti (“to fold, to twine”)
• *polsa (“strip”)
• *poľe (“field”)
• *polnina (“mountain”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: пол (pol)
  • Russian: пол (pol)
  • Ukrainian: пол (pol, “sleeping bench”)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: поли́ pf (polí, “slopes (of mountain), expanses (of span)”)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) , “пол”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubačóv, Moscow: Progress
• Duridanov I., Račeva M., Todorov T., editors (1996) , “пола”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 5, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 491