Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/svoboda

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

Alternative forms

• *sveboda, *svěboda > świeboda

Etymology

PIE word
*swé

• From the root *svo- (“self-”) m, *sva- (“self-”) f cognate with Sanskrit स्व f (sva), from Proto-Indo-European *swo-bʰo-/*swe-bʰo- and Proto-Slavic *buditi, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰowdʰéyeti, causative of *bʰewdʰ- (“to be awake, aware”) cognate with Sanskrit बोधयति (bodháyati) - meaning literally "condition of being aware of oneself" or more precisely "the gift (ability) of being aware of oneself", whereby condition/ability, or precisely the gift, Proto-Slavic *darъ and Polish dar, from Proto-Indo-European *déh₃rom related to Sanskrit धातृ (dhātṛ́) "donor, giver, supporter, creator…" and Sanskrit दातृ (dātṛ, “giver”), agent noun of ददाति (dadāti, “to give”) is being just indicated by d or dʰ - compare the English expression "to be so free" and the extensive use of shortforms and apostrophes in English language. The word thus means "the God given ability to be aware of (and express) oneself". Same extension in Latvian atsvabināt (“to free”), Old Prussian subs, Proto-Germanic *swēbaz m, *sibjō f, Latin Sabīnī, Sabellī, Samnium.

• From *svobь, from *svojь + *-oda. For the suffix cf. *agoda.

Noun

*svobodà f

1. freedom

Inflection

Declension of *svobodà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm c)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*svobodà	*svȍbodě	*svȍbody
Accusative	*svȍbodǫ	*svȍbodě	*svȍbody
Genitive	*svobodý	*svobodù	*svobòdъ
Locative	*svȍbodě	*svobodù	*svobodàsъ, *svobodàxъ*
Dative	*svobodě̀	*svobodàma	*svobodàmъ
Instrumental	*svobodojǫ́	*svobodàma	*svobodàmi
Vocative	*svobodo	*svȍbodě	*svȍbody

^* -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.

Declension of *svobodà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm b)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*svobodà	*svobòdě	*svobodỳ
Accusative	*svobodǫ̀	*svobòdě	*svobodỳ
Genitive	*svobodỳ	*svobodù	*svobòdъ
Locative	*svobodě̀	*svobodù	*svobodàsъ, *svobodàxъ*
Dative	*svobodě̀	*svobodàma	*svobodàmъ
Instrumental	*svobodòjǫ, *svobòdǫ**	*svobodàma	*svobodàmī
Vocative	*svobodo	*svobòdě	*svobodỳ

^* -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).

Derived terms

• *svobodьnъ
• *svoboditi

Related terms

• *svojь, *sebě, *sobojǫ
• *sobь, *soba, *sobьstvo, *sobiti, *osobiti
• *svěně
• *svьstь/*svěstь, *svatъ, *posětiti

Descendants

Some forms feature dissimilation u̯…b > l…b.

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: свобода (svoboda), слобода (sloboda), свободь (svobodĭ, “free”, adj.)
    • Belarusian: свабо́да (svabóda), слабада́ (slabadá, “a type of settlement”)
    • Russian: свобо́да (svobóda), слобода́ (slobodá, “a type of settlement”)
    • Ukrainian: свобо́да (svobóda), слобода́ (slobodá, “a type of settlement”)
    • → Latvian: svabads
  • → Estonian: vaba
  • → Finnish: vapaa
  • → Ingrian: vappaa

• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: свобода (svoboda), свободь (svobodĭ, “free”, adj.)
  • Bulgarian: свобода́ (svobodá)
  • Macedonian: сло́бода (slóboda)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: слобо̀да, свобо̀да

    Latin: slobòda, svobòda

  • Slovene: svobóda, slobóda, svobọ̑d f, slobọ̑d f
  • → Romanian: slobod (“free”, adj.)

• West Slavic:
  • Czech: svoboda
  • Old Polish: świeboda, słoboda
    • Polish: swoboda
  • Slovak: sloboda
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: swoboda
    • Lower Sorbian: swoboda

• Other:
  • → Hungarian: szabad (“free, allowed”)

See also

• *voľa
• *sębrъ

References

• Chernykh, Pavel (1999), “свобода”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volume 2, 3rd reprint edition, Moscow: Russian Language, page 148
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “свобода”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “слобода”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
• Oleg Trubačóv (1959), История славянских терминов родства, page 170f
• August Ahlqvist (1894) August Ahlqvist's Wogulische sprachtexte nebst Entwurf einer wogulischen grammatik aus dem nachlasse des verfassers hrsg, page 36
• Vladimir Žuravljóv (1982) Внешние и внутренние факторы языковой эволюции, page 167, page 166
• Kroonen, Guus (2013), “sebjō-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 429