бисер

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

• IPA^(key): [ˈbisɛr]

• Audio:

  (file)

би́сер • (bíser) m (relational adjective би́серен or би́серов)

1. pearl
2. (colloquial) quip (something silly but humorous and memorable that a person has said)

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

• IPA^(key): [ˈbisɛr]

• Audio:

  (file)

бисер • (biser) m (relational adjective бисерен, diminutive бисерче)

1. pearl
2. (colloquial) something silly but humorous and memorable that a person has said

• “бисер” in Дигитален речник на македонскиот јазик (Digitalen rečnik na makedonskiot jazik) [Digital dictionary of the Macedonian language] − drmj.eu

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic бисьръ (bisĭrŭ, “pearls”), from Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

• IPA^(key): [ˈbʲisʲɪr]

би́сер • (bíser) m inan (genitive би́сера, uncountable, relational adjective би́серный, diminutive би́серина)

1. beads

   Meronym: би́серина (bíserina)

   вышива́ть би́сером ― vyšivátʹ bíserom ― to bead

   вы́шивка би́сером ― výšivka bíserom ― beading, beadwork

   мета́ть би́сер пе́ред сви́ньями ― metátʹ bíser péred svínʹjami ― to cast pearls before swine

• би́серина f (bíserina)
  • би́серинка f (bíserinka)

• →? Kildin Sami: пыссяр (pyssjar)
• →? Skolt Sami: peʹsser

• Dal, Vladimir (1880–1882) “бисер”, in Толковый Словарь живаго великорускаго языка [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language] (in Russian), 2nd edition, Publication of the bookseller-typographer Wolf, M. O.

From Bulgar, from Arabic بُسْر (busr, “unripe dates”) from the root ب س ر (b s r) related to things being early, so applied to pearls because unripe dates can have some tactile and optical properties similar to pearls.

• IPA^(key): /bǐser/
• Hyphenation: би‧сер

бѝсер m inan (Latin spelling bìser)

1. pearl

• бѝсе̄ран

• “бисер”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025