Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ikъ

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 Proto-Balto-Slavic *-eikas, from Proto-Indo-European *-eykos. Cognate with Latvian -ieks (< -eikas). The *-i in *-ikъ thus reflects the Proto-Indo-European diphthong *ey, which explains the lack of the third palatalization. Lithuanian -ykas reflects earlier -inīkas, and is not a cognate. Probably not related to Sanskrit -ईक (-īká) and Latin -icō.

Suffix

*-ikъ m

Denominal, forming diminutives.
*nožь (“knife”) → *nožikъ (“a small knife”)

*větrъ (“wind”) → *větrikъ (“breeze”)

*listъ (“leaf”) → *listikъ (“a small leaf”)

*bobъ (“broad bean”) → *bobikъ (“(a small) broad bean”)
Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of a property.
*zoltъ (“golden”) → *zoltikъ (“something golden”)

*porzdьnъ (“empty”) → *porzdьnikъ (“feast, holiday, festival”)

*moldъ (“young”) → *moldikъ (“something or somebody young”)

*malъ (“small”) → *malikъ (“something or somebody small”)

Usage notes

The diminutive function is productive in North Slavic. In South Slavic languages diminutive formations only exist in relics, mostly in Slovene.

Declension

Declension of *-ikъ (hard o-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ikъ	*-ika	*-ici
genitive	*-ika	*-iku	*-ikъ
dative	*-iku	*-ikoma	*-ikomъ
accusative	*-ikъ	*-ika	*-iky
instrumental	-ikъmь, -ikomь^*	*-ikoma	*-iky
locative	*-icě	*-iku	*-icěxъ
vocative	*-iče	*-ika	*-ici

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

Derived terms

*-nikъ (appended to the past participle of verbs in *-nъ)
*-ьnikъ (with *-ьn- element abstracted away from denominal derivations on *-ьnъ)

Related terms

*-ica (feminine counterpart)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -икъ (-ikŭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: -икъ (-ik)
    - Belarusian: -ік (-ik)
    - Ukrainian: -ик (-yk), -ік (-ik)
  - Russian: -ик (-ik)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: -икъ (-ikŭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: -ⰹⰽⱏ (-ikŭ)
- Bulgarian: -ик (-ik)
- Macedonian: -ик (-ik)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: -ик
  
  Latin script: -ik
- Slovene: -ik
West Slavic:
- Czech: -ík
- Polish: -ik, -yk
- Old Slovak: -ík, -ik
  - Pannonian Rusyn: -ик (-ik), -їк (-jik)
  - Slovak: -ík, -ik
- Slovincian: -ik, -ëk
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: -ik

References

Šekli, Matej (2012), “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎^[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-ikъ”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 90
J. Halla-aho (2006): "Nouns in */-k-o-/ " in Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology, University of Helsenki, p. 70