Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/svorga

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

Alternative reconstructions

*sorga (homonymous with unrelated *sorga (“jet, flux”))

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *swergʰ-, probably a g-extension of *swer- (“to ache, to prickle, to itch”). Akin to Lithuanian sérgti (“to be sick”), Proto-Germanic *surgō (“worry, sorrow”).

Noun

*svorga f

severity, infelicity, bane
→ cause of misery (plague, famine, scarcity, etc.)

Synonyms: *běda, *zъlokoba
(figurative) wretch (unfortunate person)

Declension

Declension of *svorga (hard a-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*svorga	*svordzě	*svorgy
genitive	*svorgy	*svorgu	*svorgъ
dative	*svordzě	*svorgama	*svorgamъ
accusative	*svorgǫ	*svordzě	*svorgy
instrumental	svorgojǫ, svorgǫ^**	*svorgama	*svorgami
locative	*svordzě	*svorgu	svorgasъ, svorgaxъ^*
vocative	*svorgo	*svordzě	*svorgy

^* -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).

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Russian: соро́га (soróga)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: срага (sraga)
  - → Old East Slavic: срагъ (sragŭ)
- Bulgarian: сра́га (srága, “terrible fate, misfortune”) (archaic, in folklore)