bejleg

Albanian

Etymology

First attested in the phrase me shtīm beleg (“to provoke, to challenge”). The initial meaning seems to have been "sign, mark", reflected in the modern meaning "person distinguished by a mark or disability". Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian beleg (“mark, feature, stamp”) (attested with the meaning "duel" in Croatian), itself from Proto-Slavic *bělěgъ, ultimately from a Turkic source. The term was part of medieval Serbian legal administration, in which individuals were summoned to court by a stamp (sigillum citationis). The semantic development in Albanian could have been call to court through a stamp > duel invitation through a mark > duel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛˈlɛɡ/

Noun

bejleg m (plural bejlegje, definite bejlegu, definite plural bejlegjet)

1. duel
2. flower of corn
3. small, prematurely born kid or lamb
4. person distinguished by a mark or disability

Synonyms

• dyluftim, duel

Derived terms

• bejlegtar