màlъ

màlъ Grammatical information: adj. o Accent paradigm: a Proto-Slavic meaning: `small, little'

Page in Trubačev: XVII 173-178

Old Church Slavic:

malъ `small, little' [adj o]

Russian:

mályj `small, little' [adj o]

Czech:

malý `small, little' [adj o]

Slovak:

malý `small, little' [adj o]

Polish:

maɫy `small, little' [adj o]

Serbo-Croatian:

mȁo `small, little' [adj o];

Čak. må̃lī (Vrgada) `small, little' [adj o];

Čak. mȃli (Orbanići) `small, little' [adj o]

Slovene:

mȃli `small, little' [adj o]

Bulgarian:

mal (BTR) `small, little' [adj o]

Indo-European reconstruction: moh₁-lo-

Page in Pokorny: 724

Comments: The question is whether *màlъ can be linked to PIE *melH-, as has been advocated by Varbot, for instance (1972: 63). In view of the acute root vowel, I consider this unlikely: we would have to posit a lengthened grade root of which the acute intonation is analogical after forms with full or zero grade. Thus, I prefer to reconstruct a root *mH₁-, which in the etymon under discussion is followed by an l-suffix (cf. Vaillant IV, 545, where the root is assumed to be identical with the root of Ru. majat', which I reconstruct as *meH₂-). The Germanic forms would have s mobile and zero grade of the root. Notice that Pokorny classifies CS mělъkъ under 1. mel-, melǝ- `zermalmen, schlagen, mahlen etc.', while OCS malъ can be found under mēlo-, smēlo- `kleines Tier'.

Other cognates:

Gk. μη̃λον `small cattle, goat, sheep' [n] \{1\};

OIr. míl `(small) `animal';

Go. smals `small, insignificant'

;

OIc. smali `small (live) `stock, sheep'

Notes:

\{1\} The Doric form also has η.