Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/topolь

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.

Likely akin to Lithuanian túopa (“poplar”), but beyond that unknown. Possibly related in some manner to Latin pōpulus (“poplar”) (whence German Pappel, Latvian papele). A direct borrowing from Vulgar Latin is usually dismissed, because Eastern Romance languages reflect instead an alternative form *ploppus → Romanian plop, Albanian plep.

Per Walde-Hoffmann, perhaps further akin to Ancient Greek πτελέη (pteléē, “elm”), ultimately from reduplication and subsequent dissimilation *p - p- → *t - p- of Proto-Indo-European *pelH- (“pale, gray”).

*tȍpolь m^[1]

1. poplar (genus of trees in family Salicaceae)

• *topólъ m (o-stem)
• *topoľa f (ja-stem)
• *topola f (a-stem)

The word may refer^[2] to both Populus nigra (when necessary, specified as *čьrnъ topolь) and Populus alba (*bělъ topolь). Some daughter languages additionally bear a separate term *agnędь specifically for Populus nigra.

• *osa (“aspen”)
  • ⇒ *osika, *osina (variants)
• *trepetьlika (“trembling poplar”)

Toponyms:

• Bulgarian: Топола (Topola, “a village at the northern coast of Bulgaria”)
• ⇒ Macedonian: Тополовиќ (Topoloviḱ, “a village in Macedonia”)
• ⇒ Byzantine Greek: Τοπολοβίκος (Topolobíkos, “a beck south of Αγία Βαρβάρα (Agía Varvára)”)
• Czech: Topol (“a part of the town of Chrudim in Czechia”)
• Slovak: Topoľčany (“town in the west of Slovakia”) local settlers got the name *Topoľčane – "those who live between poplars"
• Ukrainian: Тополя (Topolja) / Slovak: Topoľa (“a village in the far east of Slovakia”)
• Ukrainian: Тополя (Topolja, “two villages in the north of Ukraine”)

🖝 See Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia on “Topolje” for many more in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia.
🖝 See Polish Wikipedia on “Topola” for many places of this name in Poland.

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “тополь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• “tuopa”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012