elьcь

elьcь Grammatical information: m. jo Proto-Slavic meaning: `dace'

Page in Trubačev: VI 22-23

Russian:

eléc `dace' [m jo], el'cá [Gens]

Ukrainian:

jaléc' `bleak' [m jo]

Czech:

jelec `dace, chub' [m jo]

Slovak:

jalec `dace, chub' [m jo]

Polish:

jelec `dace' [m jo]

Kashubian:

i̯el `a fish' [m jo??]

Lower Sorbian:

jalc `dace' [m jo]

Serbo-Croatian:

jálac `dace' [m jo];

jal (dial.) `ide' [m o??]

Indo-European reconstruction: eliko-

Certainty: -

Page in Pokorny: 302-304

Comments: As Trubačëv observes (VI: 305), the semantics of Pokorny's root *el- are capacious and complex. In my opinion, there is little evidence for a root *el- `light-coloured'. It is tempting to seek a connection between *jelьcь and OHG alunt `ide'. Pokorny identifies what is presumedly the root of the latter word with the first element of *albʰo- `white' and links it to *el-. Since the fish-names under discussion refer to shining, whitish species, this is semantically unproblematic. Nevertheless, it seems quite possible that the root *al/el (Slavic *el as a result of Rozwadowski's change?) originates from a substratum language.