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)

Alternative forms

• кукир (kukir)

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

References

• кукер in Rečnik na bǎlgarskija ezik (Institut za bǎlgarski ezik)
• кукер in Rečnik na bǎlgarskija ezik (Čitanka.Info)
• Georgiev Vl. I., editor (1986), “кукер¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 89