Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ь

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 *-is, from Proto-Indo-European *-is. Cognate with Lithuanian -is, Old Prussian -is.

Suffix

*-ь f Forms nouns:

From adjectives
Synonyms: *-ina, *-ota, *-yni

*glǫbь ← *glǫbъ (“deep”)

*golь ← *golъ (“naked, nude, bare; bald”)

*bělь ← *bělъ (“white”)

*glušь ← *gluxъ (“deaf”)

*moldь ← *moldъ (“young”)

*krasьnь ← *krasьnъ (“beautiful”)

*četvьrtь (“quarter”) ← *četvьrtъ (“fourth”)
From participles
Synonyms: *-ina, *-ica, *-ъka, *-ъkъ, *-ьcь

*kopanь ← *kopanъ ← *kopati (“to dig”)

*oranь ← *oranъ ← *orati (“to plow/plough”)

*dьranь ← *dьranъ ← *dьrati (“to tear, flay”)

*opuxlь ← *opuxlъ ← *opuxnǫti

*orsědlь ← *orsědlъ ← *orsěsti
From verbs
Synonym: *-ъ

*obuvь (“footwear”) ← **obovь ← *obuti (“to put on footwear”)

*blędь ← *blęsti (pres. *blędǫ)

*gręzь ← *gręzti (pres. *gręzǫ)

*rěčь ← *reťi (“to say”) (pres. *rekǫ)

*mazь ← *mazati (“to smear”) (pres. *mažǫ)

Declension

Declension of *-ь (i-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ь	*-i	*-i
genitive	*-i	-ьju, -ju^*	-ьjь, -i^*
dative	*-i	*-ьma	*-ьmъ
accusative	*-ь	*-i	*-i
instrumental	-ьjǫ, -jǫ^*	*-ьma	*-ьmi
locative	*-i	-ьju, -ju^*	*-ьxъ
vocative	*-i	*-i	*-i

^* 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).

Alternative forms

*-ja

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ь

Descendants

In many descendants this suffix became inseparable, see also derived terms.

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -ь (-ĭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: -ь (-ʹ)
    - Belarusian: -ь (-ʹ)
    - Ukrainian: -ь (-ʹ)
  - Russian: -ь (-ʹ)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: -ь (-ĭ)

Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*glǫbь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 144
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1980), “*golь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 7 (*golvačь – *gyžati), Moscow: Nauka, page 16
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1975), “*bělь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 2 (*bez – *bratrъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 84
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*glušь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 154
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1992), “*moldь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 19 (*męs⁽'⁾arь – *morzakъ), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 179
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1984), “*kopanь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 11 (*konьcь – *kotьna(ja)), Moscow: Nauka, page 16
Trubachyov, O., Zhuravlyov, A. F., editors (2005), “*oranь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 32 (*obžьnъ – *orzbotati), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 104
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dьranь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 217
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (2002), “*obpuxlь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 29 (*obpovědati – *obsojьnica), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 34
Zhuravlyov, A. F., editor (2008), “*orzsědlь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 34 (*orzmajь – *orzstegajь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 249
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (2003), “*obuvь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 30 (*obsojьnikъ – *obvedьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 252
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1975), “*blędь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 2 (*bez – *bratrъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 114
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1980), “*gręzь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 7 (*golvačь – *gyžati), Moscow: Nauka, page 125
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1992), “*mazь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 18 (*matoga – *mękyšьka), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 34