Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vьlčica

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

*vьlčìca

Etymology

PIE word
*wl̥kʷíh₂s

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *wilkī́ˀkāˀ, from *wilkī́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷíh₂s (“she-wolf”), from *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”).[1] By surface analysis, *vь̑lkъ (“wolf”) +‎ *-ica.

Cognate with Lithuanian vìlkė, Proto-Germanic *wulgī (whence Old Norse ylgr), also *wulbī (whence Old English wylf, Old Norse ylfa), Sanskrit वृकी (vṛkī́).

Noun

*vьlčìca f[2][3][1]

she-wolf

Inflection

Declension of *vьlčica (soft a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*vьlčica	*vьlčici	*vьlčicę̇
genitive	*vьlčicę̇	*vьlčicu	*vьlčicь
dative	*vьlčici	*vьlčicama	*vьlčicamъ
accusative	*vьlčicǫ	*vьlčici	*vьlčicę̇
instrumental	vьlčicejǫ, vьlčicǫ^**	*vьlčicama	*vьlčicami
locative	*vьlčici	*vьlčicu	vьlčicasъ, vьlčicaxъ^*
vocative	*vьlčice	*vьlčici	*vьlčicę̇

^* -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).

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: вълчица (vŭlčica)
  - Old Ruthenian: вовчи́ца (vovčíca), волчи́ца (volčíca)
    - Belarusian: ваўчы́ца (vaŭčýca)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: вовчи́ця (vovčýcja)
    - Ukrainian: вовчи́ця (vovčýcja)
  - Middle Russian: волчи́ца (volčíca)
    - Russian: волчи́ца (volčíca)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: вльчица (vlĭčica)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰲⰾⱐⱍⰻⱌⰰ (vlĭčica)
  - Bulgarian: вълчи́ца (vǎlčíca)
  - Macedonian: волчица (volčica)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: ву̀чица
  
  Latin script: vùčica
- Slovene: volčíca (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Kashubian: wilczëca, wôłczëca
- Old Czech: vlčicě
  - Czech: vlčice
- Old Polish: wilczyca
  - Polish: wilczyca
  - Silesian: wilczyca
- Slovak: vlčica
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: wjelčica

References

Derksen, Rick (2015), “vilkė”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 503: “BSL *wilkíˀ; PSL *vьlčìca f. jā ‘she-wolf’”
Anikin, A. E. (2014), “волчи́ца”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 8 (во – вран), Moscow: Russian Language Institute, →ISBN, page 195: “прасл. *vьlčica”
Martynaŭ, V. U., editor (1980), “ваўчы́ца”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), volume 2 (ва – вяшчэ́ль), Minsk: Navuka i technika, page 78: “прасл. *vьlčica”