< Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic
Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ǫpyrь
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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
Uncertain. Skok gives two hypotheses:
- From a northern Turkic language, in the form ubyr or ubyrly (“witch”). Compare Tatar убыр (ubır, “vampiric witch”), Chuvash вупӑр (vup̬ăr, “vampire”), Turkish obur (“glutton”), all from Proto-Turkic *ōpur, possibly from Proto-Turkic *ōp- (“to swallow, gulp down”).[1] Vasmer finds this phonetically doubtful.[2]
- A Slavic construction, from *u- + *pyřь, “flyer” with a privative prefix. Compare *netopyřь. According to this hypothesis *ǫpyrь could have originated as a taboo for *vьlkolakъ (cf. vukodlak).
Mel’nyčuk offers a different explanation, a Slavic construction from *ǫ- + *pyr-, “not burned”, with a privative prefix attached to a root meaning “fire”. The word would then indicate an uncremated corpse. He also lists alternative suggestions that others had proposed: a possible connection with *pyřь (“flyer”), as above; or from *vъ- + *pěrь as a coinage related to vrěpiti (“to cling”), supposedly because a vampire bites and clings to its victims.
Mel’nyčuk further proposes that the forms with initial vam- were derived by way of Old Church Slavonic *вѫпиръ (*vǫpirŭ) with prothetic *в-, borrowed into Byzantine Greek as βαμπύρος (bampúros) and then borrowed back into the South Slavic languages.
Declension
Declension of *ǫpyrь (i-stem)
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *ǫpyrь | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyrьje, *ǫpyře* |
| genitive | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyrьju, *ǫpyřu* | *ǫpyrьjь, *ǫpyri* |
| dative | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyrьma | *ǫpyrьmъ |
| accusative | *ǫpyrь | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyri |
| instrumental | *ǫpyrьmь | *ǫpyrьma | *ǫpyrьmi |
| locative | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyrьju, *ǫpyřu* | *ǫpyrьxъ |
| vocative | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyri | *ǫpyrьje, *ǫpyře* |
* 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).
Descendants
References
- “vampire”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “упырь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
Further reading
- Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “упы́рь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
- Skok, Petar (1973) “Proto-Slavic/ǫpyrь”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 3 (poni² – Ž), Zagreb: JAZU, page 564
- Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “Proto-Slavic/ǫpyrь”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
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