Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ьca

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 earlier *-ьka, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ikāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *-i-keh₂.

Suffix

*-ьca ?

Denominal, forms diminutives.
*myšь (“mouse”) → *myšьca (“a small mouse; muscle”)

*vьrvь (“rope”) → *vьrvьca (“cord, string”)
Deverbal (from the stem), forms agent nouns.
*ubiti (“to kill”) → *ubьjьca (“killer”)

*ědti > *ěsti (“to eat”) → *ědьca (“eater”)
Structural formant, without a base noun to synchronically derive from.
*ovьca (“sheep”)

Declension

Declension of *-ьca (soft a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ьca	*-ьci	*-ьcę̇
genitive	*-ьcę̇	*-ьcu	*-ьcь
dative	*-ьci	*-ьcama	*-ьcamъ
accusative	*-ьcǫ	*-ьci	*-ьcę̇
instrumental	-ьcejǫ, -ьcǫ^**	*-ьcama	*-ьcami
locative	*-ьci	*-ьcu	-ьcasъ, -ьcaxъ^*
vocative	*-ьce	*-ьci	*-ьcę̇

^* -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

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ьca

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -ьца (-ĭca)
  - Belarusian: -ца (-ca)
  - Russian: -ца (-ca)
  - Carpathian Rusyn: -ця (-cja)
  - Ukrainian: -ця́ (-cjá)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Cyrillic: -ьца (-ĭca)
  
  Glagolitic: -ⱐⱌⰰ (-ĭca)
- Bulgarian: -ца́ (-cá)
- Macedonian: -ца (-ca)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: -ца
  
  Latin script: -ca
- Slovene: -ca
West Slavic:
- Czech: -ce
- Kashubian: -ca
- Old Polish: -ca
  - Polish: -ca
  - Silesian: -ca
- Slovak: -ca
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: -ca
  - Upper Sorbian: -ca