Russian edit

Etymology edit

Uncertain. Cognate with Ukrainian кукуру́(д)з (kukurú(d)z), кукуру́(д)за (kukurú(d)za), Bulgarian кукуру́з (kukurúz), кукума́ра (kukumára), кукура́тка (kukurátka), Serbo-Croatian куку̀руз, Slovene kukuruza, kukorica, koruza, Polish kukurudza, kukurydza. German Kukuruz was borrowed from Serbo-Croatian, but the West Slavic terms have in turn been considered borrowings from German.

The suggestion of a Slavic origin and a relationship to Serbo-Croatian kukurek (hellebore) and Bulgarian кукуря́к (kukurják, hellebore), Slovene kukurjav, kukurjast (curled) does not explain the word-form difficulties (-z-). Compare Bulgarian момору́з (momorúz), моморо́з (momoróz, corn, maize), мамалига (mamaliga, hominy).

If the source were Romanian cucuruz, it should have originally had the meaning of "pine cones".

A noteworthy hypothesis for the source of "kukuru" is a word used for calling poultry for their feeding (with corn/maize).

The explanation that the term is a loanword from Ottoman Turkish قوقوروز (kokoroz), ultimately from Albanian *kokërrëz, from kokërr,[1] remains frequently cited, but derivation from Turkic kokoros (corn, maize) was refuted by F. Miklošič and F. E. Korsch.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [kʊkʊˈruzə]
  • (file)

Noun edit

кукуру́за (kukurúzaf inan (genitive кукуру́зы, nominative plural кукуру́зы, genitive plural кукуру́з, relational adjective кукуру́зный)

  1. corn, maize, Indian corn
    Synonym: маи́с (maís)

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Armenian: կուկուռուզ (kukuṙuz)
  • Kildin Sami: кукуруза (kukuruza)

See also edit

References edit

  • Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “кукуруза”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

Serbo-Croatian edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /kukurǔːza/
  • Hyphenation: ку‧ку‧ру‧за

Noun edit

кукуру́за f (Latin spelling kukurúza)

  1. cornbread

Declension edit