The words for ‘courage’ in the Bulgarian language (etymological notes) Cover Image

Думите за ‘смелост’ в българския език (етимологични бележки)
The words for ‘courage’ in the Bulgarian language (etymological notes)

Author(s): Bilyana Mihaylova
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Philology
Published by: Софийски университет »Св. Климент Охридски«
Keywords: etymology; semantic development; brave; courage

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the etymologies of the Bulgarian words in the semantic field of courage: brave (смел), bold (дързък), valiant (храбър), hero (юнак), and valor (доблест). Words expressing the concept ‘courage’ in Bulgarian follow the semantic models typical of Indo-European languages. Дързък ‘bold’ inherited its meaning from Proto-Slavic, preserving the Indo-European root’s meaning without change. For смел ‘brave’, an original meaning related to ‘will’ can be reconstructed. The remaining words show the following patterns of semantic development: ‘sharp’ → ‘brave’; ‘young’ → ‘brave’; ‘healthy, strong’ → ‘brave’. Semantic parallels from Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages are provided.

  • Issue Year: 2025
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 96-106
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Bulgarian
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