Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъrmorьcь
Proto-Slavic
Etymology
From *mъrmorъ (“small arthropod, tadpole”) + *-ьcь. Probably via assimilation from an earlier *vьrmorьcь, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis (“worm”) + *-orъ + *-ьcь, or alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“to grind, to rub”).
Compare also Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx, “ant”).
Noun
*mъrmorьcь m
- small crustacean, shrimp
- tadpole
Alternative forms
- *mormorьcь m, *mormorica f
- *mъrmolьcь
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | *mъrmorьcь | *mъrmorьca | *mъrmorьci |
| genitive | *mъrmorьca | *mъrmorьcu | *mъrmorьcь |
| dative | *mъrmorьcu | *mъrmorьcema | *mъrmorьcemъ |
| accusative | *mъrmorьcь | *mъrmorьca | *mъrmorьcę̇ |
| instrumental | *mъrmorьcьmь, *mъrmorьcemь* | *mъrmorьcema | *mъrmorьci |
| locative | *mъrmorьci | *mъrmorьcu | *mъrmorьcixъ |
| vocative | *mъrmorьče | *mъrmorьca | *mъrmorьci |
* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.
Related terms
- *vьrmьje (“insects”) (probably)
- *mъrmъkъ, *mъrmica (“type of insect, bug”)
- *mъrmyšь (“fishing bait”)
Descendants
- South Slavic:
- Bulgarian: мъ́рморец (mǎ́rmorec), мъма́рец (mǎmárec), мра́морец (mrámorec), мама́рец (mamárec, “amphipod”) (dialectal)
- Macedonian: мрморец (mrmorec), мрмолец (mrmolec, “small crustacean”) (dialectal)
- Serbo-Croatian: (dialectal)
- Cyrillic script: мр̏морац, мр̏мољак (“cricket; newt”)
- Latin script: mȑmorac, mȑmoljak (“cricket; newt”)
- Slovene: mramoríca f (< *mormorica) (obsolete)
- Non-Slavic:
- → Romanian: mormoloc (“tadpole”)
Further reading
- Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1994), “*mъmorьcь/*mъmolьcь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 20 (*morzatъjь – *mъrsknǫti), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 251
- Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “мърмор”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 416