кукер

Bulgarian

кукери (kukeri)

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

1. (dialectal) kuker (person dressed in a carnival costume, who chases evil spirits in specific days of the year)

   Synonyms: бабугер (babuger), станчинар (stančinar)

Declension

Declension of ку́кер

	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