Bulgar

See also: bulgar, bulğar, búlgar, and Bułgar

English

Alternative forms

• Bolgar, Bolğar
• Bulghar, Bolghar

Etymology

From Medieval Latin Bulgarus, from Old Church Slavonic блъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ), itself from the self designation of Turkic Bulgars, from Proto-Turkic *bulgar (“disturber, disturbing”), active noun/adjective of *bulga- (“to create a state of disorder; to stir, to disturb”). Doublet of bugger.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌlɡɑː/, /ˈbʊlɡɑː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌlɡɚ/, /ˈbʊlɡɑɹ/

Noun

Bulgar (plural Bulgars)

1. A member of a migratory Turkic people from Central Asia who conquered Moesia in the 7th century and settled what is now Bulgaria, and some of whom then migrated to the Volga basin to establish Volga Bulgaria.
2. (rare) A Bulgarian.
   • 1957, Walter Phelps Hall, William Stearns Davis, The course of Europe since Waterloo, page 409:

     Prince Alexander of Battenberg […] was chosen by the Bulgars as their first ruler (1879).

Translations

member of the migratory Turkic people

• Bulgarian: прабългарин (prabǎlgarin)
• Finnish: bolgaari
• Greek:

  Ancient: Βούλγαρος (Boúlgaros)

• Khakas: пулғар (pulğar)
• Persian: بلقار (bolqâr)
• Russian: булга́р (ru) m (bulgár), болга́р (ru) m (bolgár)

Adjective

Bulgar (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to the Bulgars.

Translations

of or relating to Bulgars

• Khakas: пулғар (pulğar)
• Russian: булгарский (ru) (bulgarskij)

Proper noun

Bulgar

1. The Turkic language of the Bulgar people.
2. A historical group of Turkic dialects, the only extant member of which is Chuvash.
3. (rare) Bulgarian, the South Slavic language spoken in Bulgaria.
   • 1957, Walter Phelps Hall, William Stearns Davis, The course of Europe since Waterloo, page 409:

     Prince Alexander of Battenberg […] was erect, gallant, and a man of good will; but he lacked tact, was unable to speak Bulgar, and was soon lost in a maze of intrigue.

   • 1965, Alfred A. Knopf, Europe since Napoleon, page 433:

     In 1879 they elected as king Alexander of Battenberg, a nephew of the Tsarina and a gallant, well-meaning young man who, if he did not speak Bulgar, was sufficiently German by birth and training to be hostile to Russia.

Translations

the Turkic language of the Bulgar people

• Finnish: bolgaari
• Khakas: пулғар тілі (pulğar tìlì)
• Russian: булгарский (ru) (bulgarskij)

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Bulgar terms
• Bulgar on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• ISO 639-3 code xbo (SIL)
• Linguist List entry for Bulgar, code xbo

Luxembourgish

Noun

Bulgar m (plural Bulgaren, feminine Bulgarin)

1. Bulgarian

Related terms

• bulgaresch

Romanian

Etymology

From bulgar.

Proper noun

Bulgar m (genitive/dative lui Bulgar)

1. a surname originating as an ethnonym

Turkish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin Bulgarus; see Bulgar above.

Proper noun

Bulgar

1. Bulgarian (native of Bulgaria)

Derived terms

• Bulgarca