Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bělъka

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 *bělъ +‎ *-ъka. Akin to Lithuanian bálnas (“white-backed”) and possibly to Latin faelēs (“cat, marten”).

Noun

*bělъka f

1. creature with white colored torso

   → squirrel (East Slavic)

   Synonyms: *věverica, *katerica

   → stone marten (Eastern South Slavic)

   → type of fish (Western South Slavic)

2. pale skinned female
3. albumen

Declension

Declension of *bělъka (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bělъka	*bělъcě	*bělъky
genitive	*bělъky	*bělъku	*bělъkъ
dative	*bělъcě	*bělъkama	*bělъkamъ
accusative	*bělъkǫ	*bělъcě	*bělъky
instrumental	*bělъkojǫ, *bělъkǫ**	*bělъkama	*bělъkami
locative	*bělъcě	*bělъku	*bělъkasъ, *bělъkaxъ*
vocative	*bělъko	*bělъcě	*bělъky

^* -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: бѣлка (bělka)
    • Belarusian: бе́лка (bjélka, “squirrel”)
    • Russian: бе́лка (bélka, “squirrel”)
    • Old Ukrainian: бѣлка (bilka)
      • Ukrainian: бі́лка (bílka, “squirrel”)
  • Old Novgorodian: бѣлка (bělka)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: бя́лка (bjálka, “stone marten”), бе́лка (bélka)
  • Macedonian: белка (belka)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: би̑лка (dialectal), бијѐљка

    Latin script: bȋlka (dialectal), bijèljka

  • Slovene: bȇlka
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: bělka
    • Czech: bělka (dialectal)
  • Kashubian: białka
  • Polish: białka

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Albanian: bejkë (“white sheep”)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1975), “*bělъka”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 2 (*bez – *bratrъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 81
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “белка”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Snoj, Marko (2016) “bȇlka”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si