Abstract
This paper addresses the historical Ves′ (Весь), as represented in the Old East Slavic chronicles, with the goal of establishing the relevant linguistic facts pertaining to this people so that they may then serve as a foundation for future etymological and interdisciplinary research. We first present the documentary evidence and analyze it for its informational content.
This is followed by linguistic comments on the name Весь in the context of the Old East Slavic language system and a discussion of the class of ethnonyms to which it belongs. We thereby consider a recent suggestion (Dzibel′, 2021) that the early Slavic suffix */‑j‑/ was involved in the formation of such names, but are unable to garner historical linguistic support for it.
An alternative view with its own implications for etymological solutions is therefore elaborated and supported by linguistic arguments.