кукер
Bulgarian
Etymology
Technically reflecting Proto-Slavic *kukyrъ, possibly derived from Proto-Slavic *kukъ, *kuka (“feisty spirit”) + -ер (-er).
Alternative theories propose borrowed origin from a term, akin to Bulgarian кукла (kukla, “toy, puppet”) (Greek loanword) or Bulgarian гу́гла (gúgla, “hood”) (Latin loanword), both ultimately from Latin cucūllus (“hood, covering for the read”).
Noun
ку́кер • (kúker) m
- (dialectal) kuker (person dressed in a carnival costume, who chases evil spirits in specific days of the year)
- Synonyms: бабугер (babuger), станчинар (stančinar)
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| indefinite | ку́кер kúker |
ку́кери kúkeri |
| definite (subject form) |
ку́керът kúkerǎt |
ку́керите kúkerite |
| definite (object form) |
ку́кера kúkera | |
| vocative form | ку́кере kúkere |
ку́кери kúkeri |
Alternative forms
- кукир (kukir)
References
- “кукер”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
- “кукер”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
- Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “кукер¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 89