полымя

Probably from unattested Old Ruthenian *по́лымѧ (*pólymja) (from which also dialectal Ukrainian по́лим'я (pólymʺja)), further borrowed from Old Pskovian *полꙑмѧ (*polymę), from Proto-Slavic *pòlmy. Doublet of по́ламя (pólamja) and its several dialectal variants, with normal East Slavic pleophony *TolT > *ToloT, while Old Pskovian dialect (Krivichs area) reflex of pleophony *TolT > *TolᵊT, *TolᵒT. Cognate with Russian по́лымя (pólymja).

Alternatively, a result of sound change (possibly some instance of dissimilative akanye) which was applied to блыха (blyxa) was suggested by Karsky, so inherited from Old Ruthenian по́ломѧ (pólomja), from Old East Slavic поломѧ (polomę).^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈpoɫɨmʲa]

• Audio:

  (file)

по́лымя • (pólymja) n inan (genitive по́лымя, uncountable)

1. flame

• по́лымны (pólymny, “ablaze, aflame”)

• “полымя” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org

• по́ломя (pólomja)

Via Middle Russian, then probably borrowed Old Pskovian *полꙑмѧ (*polymę), from Proto-Slavic *pòlmy. Cognate with Belarusian по́лымя (pólymja).

Doublet of пла́мя (plámja) and по́ломя (pólomja), where first one is a Old Church Slavonic word showing liquid metathesis characteristic of South Slavic area, and second one normally inherited by pleophony of *TorT > *ToroT type, while while Old Pskovian dialect (Krivichs area) reflex of pleophony *TolT > *TolᵊT, *TolᵒT.

• по́лымя: IPA^(key): [ˈpoɫɨmʲə]
• полымя́: IPA^(key): [pəɫɨˈmʲa]

по́лымя or полымя́ • (pólymja or polymjá) n inan

1. (obsolete or poetic) synonym of пла́мя (plámja)

   из огня́ да в по́лымя ― iz ognjá da v pólymja ― out of the frying pan into the fire

Poetic-literary version