Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ni

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 *nei, from Proto-Indo-European *nе́y, a locative case of Proto-Indo-European *ne (“not”). Cognate with Latvian and Lithuanian nei and related to Latin nī, Proto-Germanic *nai.

Conjunction

*ni

1. neither, nor

   Synonym: *i ne

Usage notes

Corresponds to the conjunction meaning of neither ... nor ... For emphasize, the form Proto-Slavic *ni to could be used instead. The adverb function of neither (“not even”) is principally expressed by Proto-Slavic *ni že, however, *ni is also applicable in this sense.

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: ни (ni)
    • Belarusian: ні (ni)
    • Russian: ни (ni)
    • Ukrainian: ні (ni)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: ни (ni)

    Glagolitic script: ⱀⰹ (ni)

  • Bulgarian: ни (ni)
  • Macedonian: ни (ni)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ни, ⇒ ни̏ти

    Latin script: ni, ⇒ nȉti

  • ⇒ Slovene: niti
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: ni (archaic)
    • ⇒ Czech: ani
  • Polish: ni
    • ⇒ Polish: ani
  • Slovak: ni (archaic)
    • ⇒ Slovak: ani
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: ni, nje
    • Lower Sorbian: ni

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*ni”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 25 (*neroditi – *novotьnъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 106
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “ни¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 635

Adverb

*ni

1. not even

Derived terms

• *ni edinъ (“not even one”), *ni edьnažь (“not even once”)
• *ni by (“as if, seemingly”)
• *ni že (“neither”)
• *ni ma (“not at all, really?”)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*ni by”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 25 (*neroditi – *novotьnъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 106
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*ni edinъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 25 (*neroditi – *novotьnъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 107
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*ni že”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 25 (*neroditi – *novotьnъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 108
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “нима”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 650