Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mana

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

Probably an n-extension of Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- (“to manipulate; great, good”), cognate with Latin mānēs (“ancestral spirits”), Latin manus (“hand, mound”). It is speculated that the initial meaning of the root is to make gestures → to manipulate (in Slavic) / to worship, pray (in Latin) → deception (in Slavic) / goodness (in Latin).

Despite the resemblance, a relation with Ancient Greek μανία (manía, “madness”) and Lithuanian mõnas (“apparition”) is doubtful. The later are usually derived from *men- (“to mind”).

Noun

*manà f

1. decoy, deception, trick
2. ghost

Alternative forms

• *manь f (“fraud”)
  • *manьja (“apparition”)
• *manъ m (“trick”)

Inflection

Declension of *manà (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*manà	*maně	*many
genitive	*many	*manu	*manъ
dative	*maně	*manama	*manamъ
accusative	*manǫ	*maně	*many
instrumental	*manojǫ, *manǫ**	*manama	*manami
locative	*maně	*manu	*manasъ, *manaxъ*
vocative	*mano	*maně	*many

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Derived terms

• *majati (“to enchant”)
• *maxati (“to make gesture”)
• *maniti (“to deceive”)
• *manǫti (“to trick”)
• *manidlo (“trick”)
• *maniteĺь (“trickster”)
• *manьjakъ (“lazy person”)
• *manьlivъ (“deceitful”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: манъ m (manŭ), мана f (mana)
    • Belarusian: мана́ (maná), мань (manʹ)
    • Russian: мана́ (maná), ман (man)
    • Ukrainian: мана́ (maná)
• West Slavic:
  • Polish: man (dialectal)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “мана”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1990), “*mana”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 17 (*lъžь – *matješьnъjь), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 195