балия
Bulgarian edit
Etymology edit
An old ī-stem agent noun from Old Church Slavonic балии (balii), reanalyzed with the suffix -ия (-ija). Probably related to Bulgarian ба́я (bája, “to cast charms”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ба́лия • (bálija) m (feminine ба́лийца)
Usage notes edit
The term (along with its synonyms) nowadays is used specifically for old-time healers, which use charms and folk medicine. The technical term for (professional) healer is лека́р (lekár) (native) or до́ктор (dóktor), меди́к (medík) (borrowings).
Declension edit
Declension of ба́лия
Derived terms edit
- ба́лийство (bálijstvo), балу́ване (balúvane, “enchantry”) (archaic)
- ба́лност (bálnost, “healing charm”) (archaic)
Related terms edit
- ба́йка (bájka, “enchanter”) (dialectal)
- ба́сня (básnja, “fable”)
- ба́ба (bába, “grandmother, old wise woman”)
References edit
- балии in Исторически речник на българския език, Sofia University "St. Clement Ohridsky"