Bulgarian edit

Etymology edit

Not clear. Per BER, most plausibly via semantic shift from Proto-Slavic *kǫblo (lair, nest) + (-ja). Akin to Old Polish kęblać (to nourish, to feed), kęblić (to rise, to tend), dialectal Russian ку́блиться (kúblitʹsja, to nest).

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

къбля́ (kǎbljá) first-singular present indicativeimpf

  1. (cant, transitive) to eat, to consume
    Synonyms: ям (jam), (figurative) кълва́ (kǎlvá)

Usage notes edit

Used in the past as "cryptic slang" for regular ям (jam), я́да (jáda) by the wool scutchers of the Rhodope region in Southern Bulgarian. Attested mainly in 3rd person.

Conjugation edit

References edit

  • Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “къбли (3л., ед. ч.)”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 178
  • Аргиров (1901) “Към българските тайни езици. Брациговски мешровски (дюлгерски) и чалгъджийски таен език.”, in Сборник, Bulgarian Literary Society