Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dělo

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 *děti +‎ *-lo, inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *dḗˀla, formally from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-lom (o-stem) or *dʰeh₁-los (s-stem), an l-derivative from *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to do”). Cognate with Lithuanian padėlỹs, priedėlė̃ (“appendix”).

Superficially also resembles Old Czech děloha (“womb”) (< hypothetical *děloga), which more likely corresponds to Lithuanian dėlė (“leech”), Latvian dēls (“boy”) from related root *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to nurish, to suckle”) (cognate with Latin fīlius (“son”), Ancient Greek θηλή (thēlḗ, “nipple”)).

Noun

*dě̀lo n

1. deed, act
2. work, operation, activity

Declension

Declension of *dě̀lo (hard o-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dě̀lo	*dě̀lě	*dě̀la
genitive	*dě̀la	*dě̀lu	*dě̀lъ
dative	*dě̀lu	*dě̀loma	*dě̀lomъ
accusative	*dě̀lo	*dě̀lě	*dě̀la
instrumental	*dě̀lъmь, *dě̀lomь*	*dě̀loma	*dě̀lȳ
locative	*dě̀lě	*dě̀lu	*dě̀lě̄xъ
vocative	*dě̀lo	*dě̀lě	*dě̀la

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Declension of *dě̀lo (s-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dě̀lo	*dě̀lesi	*dě̀lesā
genitive	*dě̀lese	*dě̀lesu	*dě̀lesъ
dative	*dě̀lesi	*dě̀lesьma	*dě̀lesьmъ
accusative	*dě̀lo	*dě̀lesi	*dě̀lesā
instrumental	*dě̀lesьmь	*dě̀lesьma	*dě̀lesȳ
locative	*dě̀lese	*dě̀lesu	*dě̀lesьxъ
vocative	*dě̀lo	*dě̀lesi	*dě̀lesā

Coordinate terms

• *orbota, *trudъ (“work”)
• *vodъ (“conduct”)
• *zadaťa (“task”) (East Slavic)
• *posъlъ (“task”) (South Slavic)
• *sъkutъkъ (“effect, deed”) (West Slavic)

Derived terms

nouns

• *dělьnikъ (“working day”)
• *neděľa (“non-working day”)

 

adjectives

• *dělavъ
• *dělьnъ
• *dělovitъ
• *dělovъ

 

prepositions

• *dělьma (“due to, because”)
• *děľa (“for the purpose of”)

 

Related terms

• *dějьstvo, *dějьnostь, *děvanьje (“activity”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: дѣло (dělo)
    • Belarusian: дзе́ла (dzjéla)
    • Russian: де́ло (délo)
    • Ukrainian: ді́ло (dílo)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: дѣло (dělo)

    Glagolitic script: ⰴⱑⰾⱁ (dělo)

  • Bulgarian: де́ло (délo) (Western pronunciation), дя́ло (djálo) (Eastern pronunciation)
  • Macedonian: де́ло (délo)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: де̏ло

    Latin script: dȅlo

    • Chakavian (Vrgada): dȉlo
    • Chakavian (Novi): dȅlo
    • Chakavian (Orbanići): dȅlo, nom. pl. dȅla
  • Slovene: dẹ́lo (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: dielo
    • Czech: dílo (“work”); dělo (“cannon”)
  • Polabian: ďolü
  • Old Polish: działo
    • Polish: działo
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: dzało
  • Old Slovak:
    • Pannonian Rusyn: дїло (djilo)
    • Slovak: dielo (“work”); delo (“cannon”)
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: dźěło
    • Lower Sorbian: źěło

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “дело”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dělo”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 7
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “дело, дяло”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 338