Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/eša

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

Unclear.

Per Iljinsky (followed by ESSJa, Vasmer): probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₁esyēt, an optative of the copula *h₁ésti. Cognates include Ancient Greek εἴη (eíē), Latin siēt, Sanskrit स्यात् (syāt).
Per Sławski: simplification of *ešče (“yet, still”); for semantics compare Old Polish jeszcze (“highlighting the possibility of continuation or repetition of the activity and condition in the future”) (compared to Latin adhuc etiam, utinam, iterum), for šč > š shift compare Slovene išče (dialectal) : iše (dated), Russian ещё (ješčó) : исто́ (istó) (dialectal), Upper Sorbian hišće : hiše, all from *ešče. He rejected Iljinsky's etymology as unlikely.
Berneker: From grammaticalization of the augment particle *h₁é + demonstrative *ḱyo-.

Adverb

*eša[1][2]

used to express hope, desire or aspiration: hopefully, if only, let, may, had better

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: еша (eša)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Cyrillic: ѥша (ješa)
  
  Glagolitic: ⰵⱎⰰ (eša)
  - Church Slavonic: еша (eša), ѥша (ješa) (Russian, Serbian)

References

Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1979), “*eša”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 6 (*e – *golva), Moscow: Nauka, page 32
Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1991), “eša”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volumes 6 (e! – ěždžь), Wrocław: Ossolineum, →ISBN, page 66