Bulgarian

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Etymology

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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

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Verb

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къбля́ (kǎbljá) first-singular present indicativeimpf

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

Usage notes

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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

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References

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  • Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “къбли (3л., ед. ч.)”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 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