evьja

evьja; evьn̨a Grammatical information: f. iā; f. jā Proto-Slavic meaning: `granary, drying shed'

Page in Trubačev: -

Russian:

évnja (W. dial.) `granary, drying shed' [f jā];

ëvnja (Psk.) `granary, drying shed' [f jā];

evnjá (dial.) `drying shed without a ceiling' [f jā]

Belorussian:

ëŭnja `granary, drying shed' [f jā];

éŭnja `granary, drying shed' [f jā];

jaŭja (dial.) `granary, drying shed' [f jā] \{1\}

Ukrainian:

jevja `granary, drying shed' [f jā];

jévnja `granary, drying shed' [f jā]

Polish:

jawia `granary, drying shed' [f jā] \{2\};

jewnia (arch.) `granary, drying shed' [f jā];

jownia (arch.) `granary, drying shed' [f jā]

Proto-Balto-Slavic reconstruction: iouiaH

Lithuanian:

jáuja `granary, drying shed, threshing shed' [f ā] 1 \{3\}

Latvian:

jaũja `threshing floor' [f ā]

Old Prussian:

jauge `drying shed, barn for braking flax' \{4\}

Indo-European reconstruction: ieu-iH-eh₂

IE meaning: granary

Certainty: +

Page in Pokorny: 512

Comments: It is evident that *evьja is a borrowing from Baltic. The Baltic word is a derivative of the word for `grain', Lith. javaĩ, which lacks a Slavic counterpart. The resyllabification of *iau̯-iā to *iau-i̯ā may account for the metatonical acute tone of both the Lithuanian and the Latvian form, if we assume that the original form was *iau̯-ìā. The East Slavic word *ovinъ apparently underwent the e- > o- shift (I do not share Andersen's objections to Trubačëv's Proto-Slavic reconstruction *evinъ, theoretical though it is).

Other cognates:

MoHG jauge (dial.) `barn'

Notes:

\{1\} The form without -n- has been recorded from 1540 onwards in many different shapes, e.g. ev'ja, jav'ja, evga and javga. According to Anikin (2005: 143), only the form jaŭja is known in the living language. The other forms are limited to areas that were inhabited by Lithuanians.\{2\} Since 1554 many variants have been recorded, e.g. jawia, jawgia, jewia, jowia. \{3\} There are many variants, viz. jáujė, jáujis, jáujas, jáujus. \{4\} The oldest source (1604) has the spelling jawyge (Toporov II: 21).