Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/zakonъ

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

By surface analysis, *za- (“for”) +‎ *konъ (“term, end”), interpreted in various ways by different scholars:

Per Vasmer, Snoj: Probably originally meaning “beginning, principle”;
Per Melnychuk: Alternatively could have meant “restriction, confinement”;
Per Vinogradov: Possibly meaning “testament, contract”;
Per Georgiev: Possibly meaning “custom, convention”.

The modern judicial meaning is likely a semantic extension, adopted with the spread of legal jurisdiction among Slavic tribes. May have been a calque of Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos) or Latin prī̆ncipium.

Noun

*zakonъ m^[1]

(initially^[2]) norm, consuetude (in early patriarchal societies)
1. → law (under law-based social order)
2. → decree, order (under command-based social order)

Declension

Declension of *zakonъ (hard o-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*zakonъ	*zakona	*zakoni
genitive	*zakona	*zakonu	*zakonъ
dative	*zakonu	*zakonoma	*zakonomъ
accusative	*zakonъ	*zakona	*zakony
instrumental	zakonъmь, zakonomь^*	*zakonoma	*zakony
locative	*zakoně	*zakonu	*zakoněxъ
vocative	*zakone	*zakona	*zakoni

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

Derived terms

*zakonьnikъ (“law-maker, lawyer, canon”)

Related terms

*začęti (“to beget”)
*zakonьcь (“conclusion”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: законъ (zakonŭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: зако́нъ (zakón)
    - Belarusian: зако́н (zakón)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: зако́н (zakón)
    - Ukrainian: зако́н (zakón)
  - Russian: зако́н (zakón) (see there for further descendants)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: законъ (zakonŭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰸⰰⰽⱁⱀⱏ (zakonŭ)
- Bulgarian: зако́н (zakón)
- Macedonian: закон (zakon)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: за́кон
  
  Latin script: zákon
- Slovene: zákon
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: zákon
  - Czech: zákon
- Old Polish: zakon
  - Polish: zakon
- Old Slovak: zákon
  - Pannonian Rusyn: закон (zakon)
  - Slovak: zákon

References

^ Snoj, Marko (2016), “zakon”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si: “Pslovan. *zakònъ”
^ Maciejowski, W. (1832), Historya prawodawstw slowiańskich (in Polish), Warsaw: Nakładem autora

Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “закон”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
Anikin, A. E. (2023), “закон”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 17 (жихарь I – засьюндывать), Moscow: Russian Language Institute, →ISBN, page 239
Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “закон”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “закон”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 522

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

[2] Maciejowski, W. (1832), Historya prawodawstw slowiańskich (in Polish), Warsaw: Nakładem autora

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