Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/sluga

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

Disputed:

Zubatý, Brückner: Cognate with Lithuanian slaugà (“servitude, assistance”) (abstract noun) and probably^[1] Proto-Celtic *slougos (“troop, military regiment”); per Matasović, a collective deadjectival from an earlier Proto-Balto-Slavic *sláugas (“adherent?”) + *-a < perhaps Proto-Indo-European *slew- (“to proceed, to adhere to”). Favoured by Vasmer, Machek, Snoj. Some scholars (Mikkola, Šakhmatov) even consider an early borrowing from Celtic.
Mladenov, Ondruš: Native formation from *sluti (“to call”) +‎ *-ga, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to listen”). Akin to Latin cliēns (“customer, companion”).

Noun

*slūgà m^[2]^[3]

servant, attendant
Synonym: *prislužьnikъ

Usage notes

The word usually refers to a male servant, even though it is an ā-stem. The female equivalent is *slugyni < *sluga +‎ *-yni.

Declension

Declension of *slūgà (hard a-stem, accent paradigm b)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slūgà	*slũdzě	*slūgỳ
genitive	*slūgỳ	*slūgù	*slũgъ
dative	*slūdzě̀	*slūgàma	*slūgàmъ
accusative	*slūgǫ̀	*slũdzě	*slūgỳ
instrumental	slūgòjǫ, slũgǫ^**	*slūgàma	*slūgàmī
locative	*slūdzě̀	*slūgù	slūgàsъ, slūgàxъ^*
vocative	*slugo	*slũdzě	*slūgỳ

^* -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).

Derived terms

*posluga (“help, assistance”)
*prisluga (“service force (collectively)”)
*slugyni f
*služiti (“to serve”) (causative), *slugovati (“to serve”) (factitive)
- *služenьje, *služьba (“service”)
*usluga (“favour, service”)
*zasluga (“merit”)

Related terms

*slověninъ (“Slav”) (per Brückner)
*sluzь (“slime”), *sluda/*sludy (“moulding”) (possibly)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: слꙋга (sluga)
  - Belarusian: слуга́ (sluhá)
  - Russian: слуга́ (slugá)
  - Ukrainian: слуга́ (sluhá)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: слоуга (sluga)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⱄⰾⱆⰳⰰ (sluga)
- Bulgarian: слуга́ (slugá)
- Macedonian: слуга (sluga)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: слу́га
  
  Latin script: slúga
- Slovene: slúga
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: slúha
  - Czech: sluha
- Old Polish: sługa
  - Polish: sługa
  - Silesian: suga
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: słëga
- Slovak: sluha

→ Hungarian: szolga
→ Romanian: slugă
→⇒? Proto-Finnic: *sulhainën (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Matasović, Ranko (2010), “Some Celto-Slavic etymologies”, in Studia Celto-Slavica, volume 3, page 16: “5. PCelt. *slowgo- ‘troop, army’”
^ Snoj, Marko (2016), “sluga”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *sluga̋”
^ Olander, Thomas (2001), “sluga slugy”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b (SA 104; PR 135)”

[1] Matasović, Ranko (2010), “Some Celto-Slavic etymologies”, in Studia Celto-Slavica, volume 3, page 16: “5. PCelt. *slowgo- ‘troop, army’”

[2] Snoj, Marko (2016), “sluga”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *sluga̋”

[3] Olander, Thomas (2001), “sluga slugy”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b (SA 104; PR 135)”

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